‘Machomen’ with guns and knives were bused by Holy Stars to match centre – Nations FC alleges – Nsemkeka
Brands Manager of Nations FC, Kennedy Boakye Ansah, has alleged that Basake Holy Stars used a GFA-donated bus to convey heavily-built men, wielding knives and guns, to the Ampain AAK II Sports Arena before their Ghana Premier League Week 33 fixture.
In a high-stakes game on Sunday against Holy Stars, Nations FC abandoned the match in the first half and walked off the pitch in protest after a second penalty was awarded against them.
Nations were trailing by 1-0 after Basake Holy Stars converted a 32nd-minute penalty.
The team subsequently released a statement to highlight poor security arrangements and poor officiating as the main reasons for their decision to boycott the game.
Speaking in an interview with Delali Atiase on the Luv Sports Blitz Xtra, Kennedy Boakye Ansah indicated the home team created a hostile atmosphere, which was not safe for a football game.
“We haven’t had any issues with Basake Holy stars before. Even during our days together in Division 1, we never had any issues.
“If you want to avoid relegation, the name of the game is fair play, but don’t use Rambo style to win games,” he said.
Frustrated Kennedy Boakye Ansah alleged ‘machomen’ with guns and knives were bused to the match centre to create an intimidating atmosphere ahead of the game.
“My biggest disappointment is with the head of the Western Regional Association, who is the owner of Basake.
“He came to the stadium in a pick-up that was given by the GFA. The bus the GFA gave them when they qualified to the Premier League was the bus that was used to bus the macho men on two occasions into the stadium.
“They [Machomen] were holding knives and guns. It was our safety and security officer who saw them. That is why we decided not to play the game.
“At that point, we realised that those three points would not amount to a life being lost so, the most important thing was that we needed to save our lives. That is why we asked the supporters and players not to play the game,” he alleged.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is yet to comment on the controversial incident.