Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, will be remembered as a black day in Ghana Sports when a football fan was killed in a stabbing incident near the Nana Koramansah II Park at the Nsoatre in the Bono Region.
The incident occurred following the violence that took place during the second half of the highly charged Premier League game between Nsoatreman FC and Kumasi-based Asante Kotoko.
Confusion broke out in the second half of the game when players from both teams engaged in fisticuffs and kicking and were later joined by some irate supporters, which took the match and security officials some time to maintain sanity and restart the game, which ended 1-0 in favour of the home team.
The home side Nsoatreman FC has since the fatal incident condemned the violent acts that occurred during their league game against Asante Kotoko.
The clashes between fans of the two clubs continued after the game which resulted in the tragic death of a Kotoko supporter identified as Francis Frimpong, popularly known as Pooley.
Pooley was reportedly stabbed to death while attempting to defend himself.
Following the match, Nsoatreman FC issued an official statement expressing condolences to Asante Kotoko and condemning the violence.
Nsoatreman FC pledged to fully cooperate with the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to ensure that the perpetrator of this crime is brought to justice and urged all stakeholders to exercise restraint and support the relevant authorities as they conduct a thorough investigation into this regrettable incident.
Kotoko, for its part, also strongly condemned the violent events, stating that their team was subjected to hostility from sections of the home supporters from the moment they arrived at the stadium. The Kumasi-based team averred that the violence escalated further when Kotoko’s Head of Media suffered a serious ear injury after being struck by an object.
Kotoko further urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to launch an immediate investigation into the violence and hold those responsible accountable.
Expressing deep concern about the persistence of hooliganism in Ghanaian football, Kotoko warned that such incidents pose a serious threat to players, officials, media personnel, and supporters.
The club has pledged its full cooperation with the GFA and called for stricter security measures at league venues to prevent future tragedies.