Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has urged football club leaders in Ghana to take greater responsibility for combating hooliganism, warning that attempts to bring more supporters back to stadiums will fail unless violence surrounding matches is also addressed.
Adams made the comments at the Ghana Football Association’s 32nd Ordinary Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Thursday.
He said improving the matchday experience and rebuilding attendances could not be separated from the need to tackle disorder and violence in Ghanaian football.
“Responsibility must begin with club leadership,” Adams said, stressing that the response to hooliganism must extend beyond measures aimed solely at supporters.
The minister referred to the Nsoatre tragedy on 2 February 2025, when Asante Kotoko supporter Francis Nana Yaw Frimpong, popularly known as Nana Pooley, died.
He described the incident as a stark and enduring reminder of the consequences that violence can have within Ghanaian football. The tragedy has continued to shape discussions about safety, responsibility and the conditions faced by supporters attending domestic matches.
Adams acknowledged that the Ghana Football Association had responded through sanctions, investigations and stronger matchday security arrangements. Those measures were introduced in collaboration with clubs, supporters and security agencies.
However, he said the problem should not be characterised simply as misconduct by fans. In his view, responsibility also extends to club officials and others connected with football organisations.
He pointed to incidents involving people associated with clubs, including confrontations with referees, as evidence that inappropriate behaviour can occur at several levels of the game.
That, Adams argued, makes club leadership central to efforts to prevent violence. He called on those running clubs to set standards of responsible conduct and to play a leading role in discouraging actions that could threaten the safety of supporters, officials and other participants.
His comments come as football authorities in Ghana continue efforts to improve safety and restore confidence among supporters after a number of violent incidents linked to domestic matches.
The minister’s warning places clubs at the centre of the wider attempt to make stadiums safer and improve the overall experience for those attending games. While security measures and sanctions remain part of the response, Adams said lasting progress would require leadership from within the clubs themselves.
The call also links the return of supporters to stadiums with the behaviour of everyone involved in matchday football. Efforts to attract larger crowds, he said, cannot succeed if violence remains a feature of the game.
Adams therefore urged club leaders to accept a broader duty in dealing with hooliganism, rather than treating it solely as an issue for supporters, security agencies or football’s governing bodies.
