Nsoatreman won the game 1-0
The persistent failure of the Ghana Football Association, Ghana Police Service, and other stakeholders in Ghana football to deal with the canker of hooliganism caught up with them on Sunday, February 2, 2025, as yet another fan who left home to watch football could not return home.
Francis Frimpong, a lifelong and vociferous Asante Kotoko fan known in the football circles as Pooley, had his life taken from him by a yet-to-be-identified man who allegedly stabbed him five times during a melee in the aftermath of Asante Kotoko’s 1-0 defeat to Nsoatreman in a Ghana Premier League fixture on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
The unfortunate incident, which represents yet another low moment in Ghana, was the height of the acts of violence that have become a part of Ghana football.
GhanaWeb highlights major events that rocked that game:
Pre-match fight
The build-up to the game was chaotic as fans from both clubs clashed. Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s bus had difficulties entering the stadium.
Fans of both clubs had to be calmed at the entrance to allow the bus of Asante Kotoko to enter the pitch.
Players fight during the match
The players were not left out of the melee as they exchanged fisticuffs during the match.
In a video shared by Hussein Adams, a fan at the stadium, Kotoko goalkeeper Mohammed Camara was seen punching two Nsoatreman players on the sidelines.
Kotoko captain Justice Blay then joined the altercation, engaging in a brawl with several Nsoatreman players, while home fans threw objects at the visiting team.
Once order was restored, the referee sent off both Blay and Camara, leaving Kotoko to finish the game with eight players as they already had another red card.
Fan stabbed during post-match violence
A Kumasi Asante Kotoko fan who is known within the football circles as Pooley became the victim of post-match violence.
A passionate Kotoko supporter, Yaw Frimpong, also known as Pooley, was fatally stabbed during a melee at the match between Kotoko and Nsoatreman in Nsoatre, Bono Region, on February 2, 2025.
Multiple reports suggest he was stabbed five times and succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Kotoko condemns violence
Shortly after the match, Kumasi Asante Kotoko issued a statement mourning their departed fan and also condemning the incident.
In an official statement, the club confirmed that media personnel and supporters who traveled from Kumasi to support the team were attacked after the match at Nana Konamansah Park.
GFA ban Nana Koromansah II Park
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has banned the Nana Koromansah II Park, the home venue of Nsoatreman F.C., following a violent clash during their game against Asante Kotoko.
The GFA invoked Article 14(2) of the Premier League Regulations to ban the park, prioritizing safety until the case is resolved.
As part of the measures, the GFA has initiated an investigation into the violent incident, tasking DCOP Lydia Donkor and the FA Prosecutors to conduct a thorough probe.
Watch the latest edition of Sports Debate below:
EK