The 2025 AFCON qualifiers match between the Black Stars of Ghana and Angola descended into chaos after the final whistle.
Marauding Ghana fans lost their sense of decorum and plunged into a wild carnage that proved destructive to Ghanaian football.
The ugly scenes unfolded like a movie at the blast of the final whistle at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi. The multi-purpose sports facility was smashed to smithereens by irate Ghana fans after the match.
What happened?
The Ghana vs. Angola match was proceeding smoothly. It almost ended barren at the final whistle when Angola took an unlikely lead just at the last touch of the game. 24-year-old Red Star Belgrade winger Joao Milson scored the late winner for the visitors. Ghana fans did not take it lightly with the goal.
They aggressively attacked the visiting team and the officials, hurling missiles, comprising bottles, stones, sticks, and other dangerous objects into the pitch. At the height of the attacks, they invaded the stadium.
Meanwhile, the incident apparently had little impact on the game. From available footage, all the players and match officials were cordoned off the facility before the carnage went full cycle. Some security officials reportedly succeeded in making a series of arrests related to the incident afterwards but could not quell the outrage for minutes.
Some critical infrastructures in the facility were destroyed. This was visible in the footage as some attackers could be seen taking down the stadium barriers.
According to reports from Ghanaian outlets, investigations have begun to track down the perpetrators of the crime. Some arrests were made at the scene of the event when it occurred.
Now, the entire security apparatus has committed to a full hunt for more perpetrators of the violence. At the time of writing this report, it has been confirmed there were no human casualties or injuries but investigations are still ongoing.
Ghana have not lost at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in 24 years
Before the Angola loss, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium was known to be a fortress for the Ghana national team. The team has never lost at the facility for over two decades.
Hence, the jinx-breaking win by Angola came as a shocker to the fans, who lost their composure and became aggressive. It is understood the incident could attract severe sanctions from African football’s governing body, CAF, who have continuously frowned at football hooliganism.
Ghana 2025 AFCON matches
Ghana are searching for their first AFCON trophy in over four decades. The last time they won the AFCON title was in 1982. In the 2023 edition, it ended in another nightmare as they crashed out of the group stages of the competition.
The loss against Angola could pose a big setback to the team’s bid to qualify for the 2025 campaign. However, they still have a route for remedy with only one match into the campaign. Their next match is against Niger Republic at the Berkane Municipal Stadium in Berkane, Morocco.
Niger are also searching for their first win after losing their opening fixture to Sudan on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, courtesy of Elsi’s 51st-minute lone winner.
