TEMA YOUTH: PROSPECTS BEING MARRED BY HOOLIGANISM (GRAPHIC SPORTS, JULY 17, PAGE 7)

AS THE 2008/09 season of the Glo Premier League comes to an end, recent occurrences at some league centres cannot be ignored. Tema Youth Football Club, who have lately been associated with one controversy after another, have in the past displayed artistic football despite enjoying little patronage from fans — a situation which impacts negatively on their gate proceeds.
The club’s display of quality football as evidence in their modest achievements in the modst of huge odds is an indication of their determination to clinch the ultimate in Ghanaian league in the nearest future.
Sadly, the level of supporter base that follows clubs such as Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak and Liberty Professionals has eluded the Tema-based club.
But even with less following, hooliganism and rowdyism regularly greet most of the team’s home matches. Not only does the club’s management prevent away teams from familiarising themselves with the FIFA-sponsored artificial turf on suspicions of unforeseen powers at play, but heckling and verbal assaults have also become the order of the day.
One question that often comes to mind anytime the team play a home game is whether superstitious beliefs exist in professional football? A football fanatic who witnessed the team’s game against Bechem Chelsea which saw Class One referee Vincent Otoo being punched in the face, sending him sprawling on the ground, asked: “How would Tema Youth officials have reacted if they were to have had a massive following?”
I believe strongly that these negative attitudes by club officials and managements impact negatively on players and affect their ultimate wish to pursue their professional careers in Europe. Some football fans within the Tema metropolis who spoke to Graphic Sports indicated that for the Tema-based club to attract massive following from residents in and around the metropolis, it behoved on the management to exhibit absolute professionalism as football is a win, draw or lose game which is aimed at uniting people.
As the 2008/09 league season comes to an end, I wish to humbly appeal to the National Sports Council, the Professional League Board and the Ghana Football Association to investigate acts of hooliganisms recorded across the various league centres nationwide and take disciplinary actions against those caught up in acts of hooliganism. If there is the need to ban culprits for periods of time from football administration in the country, so be it.