Dominic Frimpong of Ghanaian Premier League club Berekum Chelsea was killed after the team’s bus was attacked by a group of suspected armed robbers, the country’s soccer association said Monday. The incident happened on Sunday as Berekum Chelsea was returning from its game against Samartex in Samreboi in southern Ghana.
Masked men welding guns and assault rifles started shooting at their bus as the driver tried to reverse. Players and staff fled into nearby bushes to take cover, according to a club statement. One of the players was badly injured and receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital.
The Ghanaian Football Association later said 20-year-old winger Dominic Frimpong was reportedly killed in the incident. The association’s president, Kurt Edwin Simeon Okrakru, called the incident “heartbreaking” in a social media post.
Frimpong joined Berekum Chelsea FC on loan from Aduana Stars FC at the beginning of the year and played 13 games, scoring two goals for the club. Police said another victim, 52-year-old George Owusu Afriyie, was also robbed of more than $400 during the attack.
The GFA added it would strengthen security measures for clubs traveling for domestic competitions. In 2023, another Ghanian Premier League team’s bus, Legon Cities, was attacked by suspected armed robbers, though no injuries were reported.