Ghana captain calls for reprieve for invader

by Staff Reporter

Saturday Nov 16, 2019. 14:00

Ghana captain Andre Ayew says authorities should be lenient with a pitch invader who interrupted the Black Stars’ 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier victory over South Africa in Cape Coast on Thursday.

The man, named locally as Awal Sulaiman, is due to appear in court after it took 10 security personnel to hunt him down, but amid a campaign from the Ghana Football Association for fans to ‘Bring Back The Love’, Ayew has pleaded for leniency.

“I understand the overzealous fan who invaded the pitch in Cape Coast is in the firm grip of the law and he is being processed for court,” Ayew said on his Twitter account.

“While condemning his unfortunate action, I want to plead with authorities to temper justice with mercy.

“To our dear fans, especially the intruder, we know how passionate football is but it is very important for everyone to always abide by safety rules at the stadium to make the place is safe for everyone. I hope this will not happen again.”

Ghana got a morale-boosting win after a poor Nations Cup finals in Egypt where they exited in the second round.

The team are. Ext in action away in Sao Tome e Principe on Monday.