One Year After Nana Pooley’s Death, Asante Kotoko Supporters Renew Call for Justice and Safer Football

The Asante Kotoko Global Supporters Council has renewed its call for justice, accountability, and improved safety at football venues across Ghana, marking one year since the tragic death of Francis Yaw Frimpong, popularly known as Nana Pooley.

In a statement issued to commemorate the anniversary, the Council described the moment as more than a remembrance, calling it a stark reminder of an “unfinished quest for justice” and a failure of the system to provide closure to Nana Pooley’s family and assurance to the football-loving public.

Nana Pooley, a devoted supporter of Asante Kotoko and a respected member of Ghana’s football community, lost his life under circumstances that, according to the Council, raise serious and unresolved concerns about matchday security, the conduct of law enforcement, and accountability within Ghanaian football.

“One year after this avoidable tragedy, the absence of a clear and conclusive judicial outcome continues to deepen the pain of his family and steadily erodes public confidence in the State’s ability to protect football supporters,” the statement said.

The Council stressed that the right to life and personal security is guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and must be upheld at all times. It noted that football matches should be spaces for unity, recreation, and national pride—not environments where citizens are exposed to violence or death.

In strong but respectful terms, the Asante Kotoko Global Supporters Council called on relevant state institutions, including law enforcement agencies, prosecutorial authorities, and football administrators, to act with urgency, transparency, and commitment to the rule of law.

Among its key demands, the Council called for:

• A thorough, independent, and transparent conclusion to all investigations into Nana Pooley’s death;
• The prosecution of all individuals found culpable, without fear or favour, in accordance with the law;
• Institutional accountability and structural reforms to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies at football venues; and
• Clear, consistent, and public communication to Nana Pooley’s family and the Ghanaian public on the status of the case.

The statement warned that justice delayed is justice denied, adding that continued silence or undue delay risks normalising impunity, undermining public trust, and weakening the foundations of the rule of law in both sporting and civic spaces.

Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful support and lawful processes, the Council said Nana Pooley’s death must serve as a turning point for decisive legal action and meaningful reform in Ghanaian football.

“We stand firmly in solidarity with Nana Pooley’s family. His life mattered. His death demands answers. Justice must prevail,” the statement concluded.

The statement was signed by Sir Frederick Kwaku Fosu, Public Relations Officer of the Asante Kotoko Global Supporters Council.