Heart Of Lions Coach Bashir Hayford Charged For Misconduct After Sitting In Middle Of Pitch

Heart of Lions coach Bashir Hayford has found himself in hot water as he faces charges of "misconduct" from the Disciplinary Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

The incident leading to the punishment occurred during his team's match against Bechem United on matchday 28 at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

During the second half of the game, Hayford and his players stormed onto the field, temporarily halting play. Hayford even brought a seat onto the pitch, citing misconduct by fans as the reason for his actions.

The experienced coach explained that he resorted to such drastic measures because he and his players were subjected to unacceptable behaviour, including having urine poured on them and objects thrown at them by fans.

“They [fans] were pouring urine on me, they were spitting on me behind the bench,” Hayford revealed to Kessben FM. He added, “They charged on the referee that our goal was offside, but it was because of the urine poured on me that’s why I went to the pitch with a chair.”

In response to the incident, seven Bechem United officials are also set to face the Disciplinary Committee over allegations of attacking match officials, with the club itself also facing charges.

Bashir Hayford has until Monday, May 6, to respond to the charge, which is a breach of Section 34(6)(d) of the GFA Premier League Regulations 2019.

The news comes at a challenging time for Heart of Lions, who currently find themselves in 17th place on the league table after 28 games and are fighting for survival against relegation.