Ban on games behind closed doors will not be lifted anytime soon - Dr Nsiah Asare

The Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare has disclosed to Happy FM that games will continue to be played behind closed doors for the time being due to the hike in the coronavirus cases in the country.

Ghanaian clubs and some football administrators are unhappy about the games being played behind closed doors whilst other social and political activities are held without any adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Dr Nsiah-Asare in an interview on Happy FM stated that Asante Kotoko’s permission for the fans to be allowed to watch their CAF Confederation Cup game against FC Nouadibou will not be approved as other clubs will follow suit if approval is given.

“We are trying to protect the lives of people here. There is no agenda against any group of people. We told the Ghana Football Association to hold onto the fans attendance as the Ghana Premier League goes on to understudy the spread of the virus,” he told Odiasempa Kwame Oware on Happy 98.9FM.

“If we open up for Kotoko to have fans in the stadium this Saturday, then other clubs will equally request to have fans too. We cannot allow the supporters to watch the Kotoko game and then later closed down the stadium. If we can do it for Kotoko, why shouldn’t we do the same when Hearts is playing Olympics, he quizzed.

“Nobody hates anyone because we all love football. We are doing all these to ensure that we are protected and kept safe. They should support us. Once the cases are under control, things will change,” he added.

The Ghana Premier League is currently played behind closed doors due to a directive from the Sports Ministry.