Amoah worries about inability to arrest hooligans

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - Mr. O. B. Amoah, a Deputy Minister of Education and Sports has expressed worry at the inability of the security agencies to make good use of the security cameras at the various stadia to arrest any of the hooligans after 30 Premier League matches in spite of pockets of reported riots.

He said it was important that such bad nuts were weeded out from "our game" to give the country's soccer a good image "aware that Ghana is preparing to host the African Cup of Nations in 2008". The Deputy Minister, at the beginning of the GT Premier League season, tasked the security agencies to haunt for the troublemakers following disturbing incidents at the Ohene Djan, Kpando and the Tema Stadia in which irate Kotoko fans allegedly attacked match officials and a journalist.

"If the security personnel had been pro-active in dealing with those hooligans, I'm sure the Tamale incident would have been avoided", he told the GNA Sports.

Three people including Deputy Superintendent of Police, Joseph Pius Kesseh, in charge of the Mobile Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service in the Northern Region were seriously injured during last Sunday's penultimate match between Real Tamale United and Asante Kotoko when irate RTU fans charged onto the field to vent their spleen on referee Amamoo for showing Gafaru Abdulai the yellow card. The match ended abruptly.

Mr Amoah said all stakeholders must be bold in exposing the thugs irrespective of the club they support or their social standing, "as the only promise we can give to the football fraternity across the globe that come 2008, there would be no violence".

He said, it was sad that the purpose of installing the security cameras have not been fully realised; "it has now become more of a cosmetic facility than helping weed the thugs".

Mr Amoah called on Ghanaians who have the game at heart to assist in exposing and persecuting the few troublemakers to save the game.