Sporting punishments are not enough to serve as a deterrent for Hooligans – Julius Abekah Emunah
The Ghana Football Association Club licensing President, Julius Abekah Emunah has condemned the recent attack on Tamale City by Baffour Academy as a criminal act which needs to be dealt with by the state.
The country experienced another case of barbaric hooliganism on Sunday, when the team bus of Division One league side, Tamale City FC was attacked after their game against Baffour Soccer Academy in Nsoatre.
The CAF’s safety and security officer was speaking to Nana lion on the drive with the Areagang yesterday in commemoration of the May 9th disaster that happened 21 years ago and outlined ways we can curb those barbaric acts as a nation.
He emphasized that sporting punishments are not enough to serve as a deterrent for perpetrators of our game and urged the state and judiciary to prosecute these perpetrators.
Seven Tamale City players and an official were admitted to a hospital in Sunyani as a result of the barbaric incident and were given referral letters to the Tamale teaching hospital for further treatment.
“What happened yesterday is a criminal ambush, is like armed robbers attacking people who are traveling on the Tamale highway.
“It is clearly going to be dealt with as a criminal issue, so I don’t see it to be a sporting violence.
“This is purely a criminal issue and I expect of course the police have been acting on the Tamale issue, I was just told today that finally the court has ruled on the matter when some RTU fans approached the referee and all of that, the charges have been deferred to them and all of that.
“We need to charge these people, let me give you an example last season, Wamanafo incidence, the wamanafo team was fined almost Ghc 40,000.
“From Wamanafo to nsoatre where the incident happened yesterday is just one hour, so if the sporting punishment which of course was so harsh on Wamanafo, if is deterrent enough to stop other perpetrators, do you think a team is just one hour away from Wamanafo will repeat it?
“If they know that apart from the club been punished sporting wise, the police or the state will also prosecute the individual perpetrators and you will face the full rigorous of the law, do you think it will have been repeated? No way
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“It’s a criminal issue, because for you to ambush a visiting team, block the road that they are not leaving, stone them, dash their buses, these are acts that are been perpetrated by armed robbers, it’s a criminal act and needs to be dealt with as such”.
Julius Abekah told Pluzz fm.
However, the Ghana Football Association is yet to give a verdict on the barbaric attack on Tamale City fc by fans of Baffour Academy.
Author- Michael Eklu
