Former Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) Chairman, J.Y. Appiah, has called for urgent reforms in Ghana football following the tragic death of Asante Kotoko supporter Nana Pooley.

Pooley was stabbed during Asante Kotoko’s Ghana Premier League match against Nsoatreman FC at the Nana Koromansah Park on 2 February 2025, an incident that has reignited discussions about hooliganism and security in Ghanaian football.

Appiah believes the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must take responsibility and ensure better security measures at league matches to prevent such tragedies.

“We need to make a lot of changes. We should not take our security lightly. We must have intelligence before each match," he said on Prime Take with Muftawu Nabila Abdulai.

He emphasised that signs of potential violence were visible before the game and should have been acted upon.

“You could see that tension before the match was very high, and according to what we read on social media, the man (Pooley) was given several warnings not to come. That’s why I’m saying that we must have an intelligence report before the matches, and then officiating should be fair.”

The former GHALCA Chairman also criticised the current approach to security at league matches, arguing that the responsibility should not rest solely on home teams.

“The FA should provide adequate security. They should not rely on the home team for security; they should provide adequate security and ensure that before every match, security is okay.

"I even understand that when Kotoko were entering the stadium, there were a lot of issues. It should have been settled there. All these things should not be allowed to happen. The FA, who is running the league, must take control of the league and run it well.”