Ghana has been fined five thousand Swiss francs by FIFA for breaching articles 17 and 58 of the organisation’s Disciplinary Code. This penalty is a result of the pitch intrusions during the Ghana vs. Madagascar match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on November 17, 2023.
The incident included an unauthorized intruder on the field and a group without accreditation within the restricted area. Some of these individuals even joined players in celebrating Inaki Williams’ crucial goal in the closing moments of the match.
“The World Football governing body, however, commended the security service for being proactive in dealing with the matter. They also called on the stadium management to improve the internet facility,” disclosed the Ghana Football Association on Tuesday.
The Black Stars emerged victorious in this contest with a 1-0 score, sealed by Inaki Williams’ late goal, marking his first achievement since joining the Ghanaian national team. Inaki Williams found his goal in the 95th after connecting a tailor-measured cross from left back Gideon Mensah. The Athletic Bilbao forward made no mistake from close range, sending in a powerful header past the goalkeeper to break his goal drought – his first goal in 12 appearances. Subsequently, the pitch was invaded by a group of fans celebrating the victory.
This isn’t Ghana’s initial sanction, having previously received a ten thousand US dollar fine from the Confederation of African Football in November 2019 for a similar incident involving pitch intrusions.
