‘It’s A Blight On All Of Us’ – Sefa Kayi Grieves Over Death Of Kotoko Supporter

‘Chairman General’ Kwami Sefa Kayi has commiserated with the family of Francis Frimpong, popularly known as Pooley, who is a strong supporter of Kotoko football club.

Pooley was stabbed to death during a clash between the Kotoko supporters and Nsoatreman FC’s at a Ghana Premier League venue in Nsoatre, a suburb of the Bono Ahafo Region.

Sefa Kayi expressed his grief over the loss of the Kotoko fan describing as extremely unfortunate the outcome of the soccer match.

“It’s a blight on all of us”, he said sorrowfully in an interview on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”.

He hoped the Police will fish out the culprit to face the consequences of his or her action.

Eyewitness Account

An eyewitness, who was at the VIP section of the stadium, claimed he was seated close to former Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, when the Kotoko vs Nsoatreman brawl started.

“I was seated right below Hon. Baffour Awuah, who is the owner of the club, when the fight started on the pitch.”

“Kwasi Appiah [Head of Asante Kotoko’s Technical Directorate] was seated to his right. So when the fight broke out, he went downstairs to try and calm the situation.

“When he got there, he signalled for Kwasi Appiah to join him but some of the Kotoko leadership advised Appiah not to, warning that the situation was too volatile and he could be attacked, so Appiah stayed back”, a JoySports narration of the eyewitness account stated.

According to the eyewitness, this angered Baffour Awuah.

“He got upset that Appiah ignored him and, out of frustration, signalled the supporters to continue what they were doing. He incited the fans. On his way back to his seat, Pooley approached him.”

“Pooley told him, ‘Oh Honourable, what the fans are doing is not good; tell them to stop’ but because Honourable was frustrated that Appiah ignored him, he pushed Pooley.

“The fans then rushed at Pooley. In his attempt to defend himself, he punched one of the supporters and tried to move towards Kwasi Appiah. However, a fight broke out, and Kotoko’s leadership intervened to restore calm.”

Calm Restored But…

Appiah, according to sources, was pelted with water and he eventually left the stadium but just when they thought peace had been restored, things took a tragic turn.

“So while we all thought calm had been restored, I told my boss we should leave. As we got downstairs, we saw that Pooley had been stabbed with a knife and was being rushed out in a Pragya [tricycle].”

The eyewitness, who claimed to be a hospital worker, stated that Pooley was stabbed in the upper left side of his chest near the heart.

He also noted an ambulance was parked near the players’ dressing rooms while the stabbing occurred at the VIP section.

“I was with Pooley when he gave his last words. He said, ‘Even if there’s an ambulance, they won’t take me to the hospital.’ Those were his last words.”

 

Source: Ghmessenger.com