Ashantigold supporters beg GFA to lift year-long ban on the club

AshantiGold fans have urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to lift the indefinite suspension on their club, eager for the team to return to action.

The Miners were suspended for engaging with officials who are serving long-term bans from Ghana football.

Fans travelled from Obuasi to Prampram, where football delegates gathered for the Ordinary Congress to usher in the new season.

They held placards pleading with the GFA to lift the suspension, allowing the third most successful club in Ghana’s history to return to the field.

AshantiGold’s suspension followed a match-fixing scandal with Inter Allies, which led to their demotion to the Division Two League.

Over 20 players were initially banned, a decision later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

However, former club president Dr Kwaku Frimpong and vice-president Emmanuel Frimpong were handed long-term bans.

The club’s attempts to challenge the decision in the High Court and CAS were unsuccessful. The legal battle, led by the banned officials, resulted in their suspension by the GFA Executive Council.

The GFA stated that AshantiGold’s continued dealings with the banned officials “constitute a serious violation of both GFA Statutes and FIFA Statutes.”

Kwaku Frimpong and Emmanuel Frimpong were banned for 10 and 8 years, respectively, by the GFA Disciplinary Committee for engaging in match manipulation.

These decisions were upheld by the GFA Appeals Committee, and the officials did not appeal to CAS within the required timeframe.

As a result of the suspension, AshantiGold lost their membership and have not played football for over a year, leading to the deterioration of the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium.

The fans, who knelt in their appeal, expressed their desire to see football return to Obuasi and indicated the club’s willingness to start fresh in the Division Two League.

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Founded over four decades ago, AshantiGold have won the Ghana Premier League four times, one FA Cup, and were African Champions League runners-up in 1997.

By Enoch Fiifi Forson