AshantiGold SC supporters have made a passionate appeal to the Ghana Football Association (GFA), urging the governing body to lift the indefinite suspension imposed on their club.
Eager to see their team return to competitive action, the fans traveled from Obuasi to Prampram, where the GFA Ordinary Congress was convened to launch the new football season.
The Miners were suspended by the GFA for continuing to engage with officials who are serving long-term bans from Ghana football, following a match-fixing scandal involving Inter Allies, which saw AshantiGold demoted to the Division Two League.
During their demonstration at the Congress, fans held placards pleading with the GFA to reinstate the club, highlighting the rich history and significant contributions of AshantiGold to Ghanaian football.
Founded over four decades ago, the club has won the Ghana Premier League four times and the FA Cup once, and were runners-up in the African Champions League in 1997.
The suspension has had a severe impact on the club, including the deterioration of the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium, as AshantiGold has been out of action for over a year.
AshantiGold’s suspension was a result of legal battles led by banned officials, former club president Dr. Kwaku Frimpong and vice-president Emmanuel Frimpong, who were handed 10 and 8-year bans, respectively, by the GFA Disciplinary Committee for their involvement in match manipulation.
Despite their efforts to challenge the decisions in the High Court and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), AshantiGold’s legal challenges were unsuccessful, leading to their suspension by the GFA Executive Council.
The GFA maintained that AshantiGold’s continued association with the banned officials was a serious violation of both GFA and FIFA Statutes.
Now, as the fans kneel in appeal, they have expressed a willingness for the club to make a fresh start in the Division Two League, hoping that the GFA will reconsider their decision and allow football to return to Obuasi.
