Anthony Acquaye, a security analyst has stated that banning clubs from hosting home matches is not the solution to addressing security gaps in Ghana’s football stadiums.
Instead, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must adopt a more strategic approach involving threat intelligence gathering, risk assessment, and proactive security measures to curb violence and hooliganism at football matches amidst the stabbing of Kotoko football fan during a match between Nsoatreman.
“The GFA must take a substantial amount of responsibility for the recurring acts of hooliganism and violence that have marred our football stadiums, from past incidents, some of which have tragically claimed innocent lives, it is clear that the GFA has not learned sufficiently from these failures,” he said in a statement.
According to him, one of the major shortcomings identified is the lack of structured threat intelligence within the GFA.
He explained that currently, there are no dedicated officers assigned across the sixteen regions to gather and analyze intelligence related to security risks ahead of matches. Without such a system, he stated that security measures remain reactive rather than proactive, failing to prevent violent incidents before they occur.
He criticized the GFA’s practice of reaching out to police commanders only a day before matches to request security deployment.
He asserted that a glaring example of this failure was the stabbing of the Kotoko supporter, Pooly, which, according to the analyst, could have been prevented with the right security measures in place.
“Are bomb-sniffing dogs or handheld explosive detection devices deployed at entry points?” the expert questioned.
“At what point has the GFA made it a policy for security personnel to prevent intoxicated or violent fans from entering stadiums?” the analyst asked.
AM/KA
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