The Ghana Premier League’s suspension following violent fan disturbances in Nsoatre has reignited a fierce debate about the root causes of hooliganism in the country’s football. Nana Obiri Yeboah, CEO of Accra Lions, has pointed an unflinching finger at one major culprit: poor officiating.
In a candid interview, Yeboah argued that inconsistent and substandard refereeing is the primary driver of fan unrest. “Fans come to the stadium desperate for their teams to secure three points,” he said. “When referees fail to perform their duties fairly, it creates frustration and anger that often boils over into chaos.” His comments come just weeks after Accra Lions were fined by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for publicly criticizing officiating in one of their matches.
While Yeboah acknowledged the importance of the GFA’s newly introduced safety protocols, he insisted that these measures alone are not enough. “Educating supporters and enforcing safety rules are necessary steps, but they don’t address the core issue,” he said. “We must take a hard look at the quality of officiating in our league. At times, it’s simply unacceptable, and until we fix this, hooliganism will persist.”
The recent incident in Nsoatre, which led to the league’s suspension, underscores the urgency of the problem. Fans stormed the pitch, clashing with security and disrupting play, in a scene that has become all too familiar in Ghanaian football. The GFA’s response—a set of stricter safety measures—has been met with mixed reactions. While some applaud the move, others, like Yeboah, argue that it’s merely treating the symptoms rather than the disease.
Yeboah’s critique strikes at the heart of a long-standing issue in Ghana football. Refereeing controversies have plagued the league for years, with accusations of bias and incompetence often dominating post-match discussions. For many fans, these perceived injustices are a breaking point, especially in a league where the stakes are high and margins for error are slim.
“Most fans won’t exercise restraint when they feel their team has been wronged,” Yeboah added. “They want to act. That’s why we need to tackle the root cause head-on. Better officiating will lead to fairer outcomes, and fairer outcomes will lead to calmer fans.”
As the GFA works to restore order and resume the league, Yeboah’s comments serve as a stark reminder: without addressing the underlying issues of poor refereeing, the cycle of violence and disruption is unlikely to end. For Ghanaian football to thrive, the conversation must shift from merely managing chaos to creating a system where fairness and transparency prevail.
