Allow fans at match venues – Kwabena Yeboah begs government

Kwabena Yeboah, the President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has appealed to the government to rescind its decision to bar fans from watching football matches at the stadium.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in announcing the lifting of the ban on football said that each game venue could accommodate 25% capacity.

But a week to the commencement of the season, the Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a statement that cancelled out the president’s order.

The decision, the Ministry says was due to the recent spike in Ghana’s Covid-19 cases.

In an interview with Accra-based Hot FM, Kwabena Yeboah urged the government to reconsider its decision.

He said that the absence of fans is hurting the game and their return will be a major boost for the league.

The veteran sports journalist said that though he recognizes the challenge the virus poses, he has confidence in the football authority to ensure strict adherence of the preventive protocols.

“I want to appeal to the government and Covid-19 team that we believe that we are capable of observing the protocols and that the earlier they allow the supporters at the stadia, the better for the game”.

“That is far from suggesting that we are oblivious of the dangers the pandemic poses to the world but we want to believe the authorities at the stadium are capable of ensuring that all the protocols are very well observed”.

So far only two rounds of games have been played in the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League.

There have been concerns about the fitness of the footballers but Kwabena Yeboah is impressed with the display so far.

“The league is going to be very competitive. The standard is not too bad considering where we are coming from. Don’t forget, the Number 12 has stopped football for over a year and as soon as we started Covid 19 also arrived so we have come out of these problems. In terms of the management of the game and commitment of the players, it is absolutely brilliant”, he said.