A fan’s opinion piece republished by Adom Online argues that hooliganism in the Ghana Premier League is now both a safety crisis and a threat to the league’s commercial survival.
Violence at Ghana Premier League (GPL) match centres is back in public debate, with a supporter's commentary arguing that the country risks losing the credibility of its top-flight football if stakeholders keep treating crowd trouble as a normal part of the game.
The opinion piece, published by Adom Online, is written from the perspective of a long-time GPL follower and marketing professional. It does not report a new incident. Instead, it pulls together recent concerns about hooliganism and makes the case that the problem has moved beyond club rivalry into questions of public safety and national security.
The case being made
The writer points to the death of Asante Kotoko supporter Francis Yaw Frimpong, widely known as Nana Pooley, during the Nsoatreman versus Kotoko league fixture in February 2025. Parliament later discussed that incident as part of broader concerns about violence at Ghanaian sporting events.
That death, the piece argues, should have been a turning point. It was not. The commentary says discussions about hooliganism have simply continued without the changes that were promised.
The author is careful to separate passion from violence. Singing, drumming, flags and banter are described as assets that make matchday special at any centre, whether the club is Kotoko, Hearts of Oak, Aduana, Medeama, Samartex or Karela. The line, the writer says, is drawn at treating rival fans, referees and opposing players as enemies.
Who carries the blame
Rather than placing responsibility only on fans, the piece spreads it across clubs, the Ghana Football Association (GFA), stadium managers, the Ghana Police Service, government, the football media and supporters themselves.
Clubs are urged to answer for the conduct of their followers rather than stopping at ticket sales and full stands. Supporters' groups are asked to educate members, not just mobilise them. The GFA is called on to apply its disciplinary rules consistently, and security agencies are asked to prepare properly for high-risk fixtures.
The commentary notes that Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has already urged club leadership to do more on hooliganism, and that other stakeholders have called for stronger security. Implementation, the writer insists, matters more than the appeals.
The money angle
One of the sharper arguments in the piece is commercial. Sponsors invest in football to link their brands with entertainment, community and youth, not with injuries and destruction.
The chain of damage is laid out plainly: if families stay away, attendance falls; if attendance falls, the matchday economy weakens; and if the league keeps making headlines for violence, corporate partners grow cautious. That eventually hits club budgets, players and vendors.
What is proposed
The suggestions include intelligence-led rather than reactive policing, security planning for high-risk matches well before kick-off, better managed stadium entry, bans for repeat offenders, and sanctions that supporters actually believe will be enforced.
