Behind closed doors,the sound of silence
Accra Hearts of Oak hosted Sekondi Hasaacas at their favourite home ground and it was like two unknown clubs playing? There was no colour, sound or any euphoria to suggest that two huge traditional clubs were playing!
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In the most unimpressive manner, Ghana football cut a slice of history when giants, Hearts were made to play two home matches behind closed as punishment for the unruly misbehaviour of their fans.
On Thursday, they served out the ban with the second game against Liberty Professionals.
The decision from the Disciplinary Committee (DC) of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) was in reaction to the violent conduct of their fans when Hearts played Wa All Stars at the Accra Sports Stadium on April 3. In the past, the was to fine offending clubs or force them to play home away from home. But with fans still able to follow their teams to their new homes, that punishment seem to have lost its bite, compelling the DC to try 'something different' in its bid to curb crowd violence and hooliganism.
The term "Behind Closed Doors" is used to describe matches played without spectators allowed in the stadium to watch and it is backed by Articles 7, 12 and 24 of FIFA's disciplinary code.
When a match is played behind closed doors, it simply means, fans of both sides cannot be at the stadium to watch and support their teams. Only operatives for the said match , as are allowed in, so for a stadium quite as large as the Accra Sports Stadium, one could only imagine the clear sounds from the players and coaches due to the silence in the stands.
While that action was nothing new to football as countries such as Italy, England, The Netherlands, Brazil, France, the USA and Egypt have all seen matches played behind closed doors, mostly mainly due to crowd violence, it was the first time it had happened in Ghana so far as association football was concerned and perhaps, given us all a feel of what it is like to play behind closed doors.
Cash loss
Obviously, the first loss which could be a huge one, is the loss or revenue that Hearts would have derived from the two matches. This season has been a good one for the Phobians as their fans have trooped to their matches to lend support and in the process, helped the club make some decent money from the gates.
Their being prevented from attending the two matches meant the Phobians can not break even, and it is even more sad, as they have to pay a total of GH¢14,000 to the owners of the stadium for its usage. That with the GH¢24,000 they have to pay as fines (GH¢12,000 for the club and each for their two officials), is good money lost.
This will be hard felt as without meaningful sponsorship, the club depend mostly on the gate proceeds to honour its financial obligations.
Not to talk of the various groups of people who undertake various forms of economic activities during match days to survive.
The vendors were not left out of this economic loss.
Sadly, on the morning of the match, a khebab seller, oblivion to the fact that the match will not have any spectators, came to the stadium early to set up and prepare for ‘business’ only to be told that he would run at a loss if he operated on that day because there would be nobody to buy. The beverage sellers who had also chilled their drinks for the day, had to leave them in the fridge for another day.
Silence in the stands
The euphoria from fans and spectators in the stands make football what it is. The oohs, aahs, the unending 'jama' songs that cheer the home team on or intimidates the away team all play various roles to make football enjoyable.
So to have all that missing for a club, that prides itself of having many musical groups meant football was robbed off one of its important component and though Hearts won the game against Hasaacas on the first 'behind closed door' game, the feeling was not the same.
During the game, it was difficult for players and coaches of both sides to communicate without being heard by the opposing team. It was therefore, difficult for coaches to correct their players or players call out to one another as everything said was audible.
A colleague at the Hearts-Hasaacas match described the match as ‘worse than a training match and the sounds from the players and coaches even echoed in the stands.’
The only gain, the club may have made was the fact that there were no fans to put pressure on them and thus spare them the insults that was often hurled at them for not meeting expectation.
The experience at the Accra Sports Stadium no doubt has given all a real insight of what the losses and gains if any, was for Hearts in particular and other clubs who may find themselves in that situation, and it will be for them to use that experience to boldly urge their fans never to lead them anywhere close to that again.
Officials of Hearts bemoaned not only the financial loss, but the vibrancy in the stands, which has served as motivation for the players, a situation the players also described as 'awkward.'
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"There is no system to sell seasonal tickets as our matches are cash and carry. We tried to get the fans who would have attended the game to send their cash for the tickets to the club through the mobile money transfer and that was not really effective as not much money was raised, compared to what we could have grossed if our fans were to attend the match.
"I think we all have learnt our lesson and we will do whatever it takes that we don't tread that path again. We need the fans as much as they also want to be at our games so we should find common grounds to meet one another’s need and want," an official of Hearts who did not want to be named said.
Football, spectators go together
Behind closed doors games may provide the security and safety for all involved, it averts any acts of hooliganism and violence, the main reasons why such punishment is always carried out where it has been.
Behind closed doors may be good and serene, but the silence in the stands definitely robs the sport of its livewire.
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Football thrive on two major things -- the technical, made up of the playing teams and the operatives, as well as the fans -- and so it will not be in the interest of anyone when one part is conspiciously missing because of the misbehaviour of a few group of people.
Football has been made to be played with the doors widely opened but controlled, and so let’s have the noises back in the stands!
Never again should there be a game ‘behind closed doors’ in Ghana football.