Baba Yara violence: GFA, Kotoko failed – Security expert

The Ghana Football Association and Kumasi Asante Kotoko must accept responsibility for the disturbance that occurred at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday, a security expert has said.

According to Nick Owusu per the regulations of FIFA and CAF, Kotoko and the GFA are obliged to ensure the security of all persons who comes to the stadium to watch matches.

Whilst condemning the unruly behavior of the supporters, the FIFA and CAF Safety and Security Officer maintained that the two aforementioned institution failed to put measures in place to prevent the incident.

“It’s a joke for anyone to justify the actions of Kotoko. As an official of Kotoko you cannot explain this sort of behavior. It is not done anywhere. Remember every single fan who came to stadium paid money to be there so in that capacity, they are a guest to Kotoko because its Kotoko who have rented the venue for match. It’s their responsibility to ensure that the people come in safe and leave safely”.

“The GFA is responsible for the security of all officials, players and fans who come to the stadium. The policing system we have in Ghana does not provide any specialize training for police to handle situations like this in football. There are protocols as to how you deal with it on a day-to-day basis”.

Properties were destroyed and a life was nearly lost as fans of Kumasi Asante Kotoko clashed with police during the club’s match against Berekum Chelsea.

A call by the referee in the second half of the match angered the fans who retaliated by directing objects at him and his assistants.

A police intervention restored calm but it escalated again after the game which culminated in the shooting of one of the fans.

The conduct of the fans has been condemned by the GFA, Kotoko and the Ghana Police Service.

In a statement, Kotoko used strong words to convey its displeasure with the behavior of its fans and assured the police of their cooperation in identifying the culprits.

The GFA has placed a temporary home ban on Kumasi Asante Kotoko whilst investigating the matter

The police has also launched investigations into the matter and indicted the officer who is said to have fired the shot in the eye of the fan.