Fare thee well, Nana Pooley

 Suggestions to name the current season of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) after the murdered Asante Kotoko fan, Nana Pooley, has been treated in some quarters as a joke.

But after considering the damage the incident had on the competition’s image and the forced initiatives that followed the infamous event, naming the 2024/25 season after him should be the easiest thing to do.

On a bright match day 19 at Nsoatre, football lovers had thronged the venue to have fun watching Nsoatreman, a young and forceful club rubbing shoulders with previous continental giants, Asante Kotoko.

Until the unfortunate incident, the atmosphere had been serene and charged football-wise despite earlier skirmishes by fans as both teams arrived.

There was security presence but as to why they failed to bring the situation under control remains answers to come out following investigations into the matter.

Kotoko then started flexing their muscles, opting against the continuation of the league. Interestingly, in death, they courted the support of their biggest rivals, Hearts of Oak.

And of course when you have this two together taking such a decision, then definitely, the FA, organisers of the competition must move from its plush office at Ridge and hit the roads to Oseikrom to sympathise with the Asanteman warriors.

Yesterday, Nana Pooley was laid to rest after a funeral ceremony held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. For some, he died as a hero and would forever be remembered.

That, perhaps, explains the call to name the season after him. That is quite subjective.

But come to think of it; if Hearts and Kotoko rode on the back of the Nana Pooley incident to remind Ghanaians of their ‘heavyweight’ status, then it would not be a bad idea to name the season after the fallen porcupine.

Again, as a result, preparation and documentation to get an autonomous body to run the league was dusted after finding comfortable rest in lockers at the FA.

The big clubs tested the waters but a swift response from the FA, regarding it readiness to hand over the process to the body (Autonomous Premier League) it claimed had already registered, waiting the Premier League clubs to show up, calmed the nerves of all.

Then the biggest of all was the introduction of the Enhanced Matchday Security Protocol and a review of match venues, some of which have been rejected.

All manner of stakeholders have been caught up in the implementation of this protocol – Match Commissioners, Clubs representatives, Venue Media Officers and many others have all been offered training in order to ensure that safety remains the watch word at venues.

The fans have not been spared. Their leadership were also trained to educate their members on staying away from hooliganism.

After a month of work, the GPL is returning this season but with a tough sacrifice.

And one of the ways to not make the death of Nana Pooley be in vain is to nib hooliganism in the bud. That would obviously be supported by the protocols introduced by the FA.

Investigation would, however, continue until the culprit is arrested for justice to be served. That would surely make it known to fans that hooligans are not entertained at match venues.

The football family would miss your antics that infuriates some while others see the amusing parts to make the day an interesting one. Fare thee well, Nana Pooley.

 By Andrew Nortey