Ghanaian footballer Dominic Frimpong has reportedly died after suspected armed robbers opened fire at the bus carrying his team Berekum Chelsea back from a match.
“Masked men wielding guns and assault rifles” ambushed the bus and “blocked the road” as the team returned home on Sunday, according to the club.
The police report says Frimpong sustained gunshot wounds and died while receiving treatment. A manhunt for the suspects is under way.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) expressed its “profound shock and deep sorrow,” describing the 20-year-old as a “promising young talent whose dedication and passion for the game embodied the spirit of our league.”
The team was returning from a Ghana Premier League game against Samartex in Samreboi, 270 kilometers (170 miles) from Berekum, which they had defeated 1-0.
“[The men] started shooting at our bus as the driver tried to reverse,” Berekum Chelsea said in a statement on Monday. “The players and staff fled into nearby bushes to take cover.”
Ghanaian authorities report that six armed men attacked a bus carrying 30 players and officials.
The police have dispatched additional personnel and crime scene experts to the area and plan to arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible.
The GFA stated that it was in contact with the appropriate authorities and the club, recommending that “all necessary measures” be done to guarantee justice is served.
In a separate statement, the Ghana Premier League voiced its “unwavering backing” for the team at their “difficult moment” and urged security services to take “urgent steps to safeguard all participating clubs” as they travel around the country for matches.
Sunday’s attack exposes long-standing safety risks on Ghana’s key highways.
Similar attacks have been reported in previous years against FC Savannah, Wa All Stars, Legon Cities, and AshantiGold.
Ghanaian sports journalist Muftawu Abdulai described the attitude in the country as “shock and disappointment,” adding that fans are increasingly asking if it is “safe to travel and play league matches.”
“If the lives of the people or the key architect of the game cannot be protected, then it is not worth playing the game,” Abdulai told BBC Sport Africa.
The GFA stated that it will evaluate and tighten security protocols for clubs traveling for competitions within Ghana in order to “prevent such tragic occurrences in the future.”
Frimpong had moved to Berekum Chelsea on loan from Aduana FC in January.
The forward was scheduled to stay with the side until the end of the Premier League season. He had two goals from 13 appearances.
Berekum Chelsea was formerly known as Semereka FC when it was founded in 2000.
Four years later, the name changed to reflect the transfer of former Ghanaian national team star Michael Essien to Chelsea, which boosted the English Premier League team’s popularity in Ghana.
