Armed robbers attacked the Berekum Chelsea’s team bus in the early hours of Monday morning as the squad made their way back from Samreboi, where they had played a Ghana Premier League matchday 29 fixture against Samartex.
The attack happened at Ayiresu, along the Gorso road after Bibiani around 11pm local time. In a statement, Berekum Chelsea said: "On our way back to Berekum from Samreboi, our team bus was attacked by a group of armed robbers who blocked the road to prevent our passage. Masked men wielding guns and assault rifles started shooting at our bus as the driver tried to reverse. The players and staff fled into nearby bushes to take cover."
Frimpong was shot during the ambush and did not survive. He was just 20 years old.
A promising career cut tragically short
Frimpong had signed for Aduana FC on a three-year deal from Attram De Visser, before being loaned to Berekum Chelsea at the start of the second round of the current Ghana Premier League season. In his time at the club, he had made 11 appearances and scored 2 goals that came against Karela United and Bibiani GoldStars.
At his previous club Aduana, he played three games, with one of them coming in the FA Cup.
The football community responds
The Ghana Football Association issued a statement expressing profound shock and deep sorrow, saying: "This tragic incident is not only a huge loss to Berekum Chelsea but also to Ghana football as a whole. Dominic was a promising young talent whose dedication and passion for the game embodied the spirit of our league."
The GFA confirmed it is in constant communication with the club and relevant authorities, including the Ghana Police Service, as investigations continue, and pledged to engage key stakeholders to review and strengthen security arrangements for clubs travelling for domestic competitions.
The Ghana Premier League also shared their condolences, joining the wider football fraternity in expressing grief and outrage at what has happened.
Aduana FC, Frimpong's parent club, described themselves as "deeply saddened" by the news, adding their voice to the chorus of mourning that has swept through football circles since the news broke.
The Ghana Police Service confirmed they are on an active manhunt for the perpetrators.
A pattern that cannot continue
The brutal attack on Berekum Chelsea's bus is not an isolated incident. It is the latest in a deeply troubling pattern of armed robberies targeting Ghanaian club buses on remote highways, and the first to result in the loss of a player's life.
In March 2022, AshantiGold SC's team bus was attacked while returning to Obuasi from a Premier League match against Accra Hearts of Oak at the Accra Sports Stadium. All players and staff were fortunately unharmed, but the incident prompted the GFA to issue a formal warning, urging travelling clubs to avoid night travel.
Just weeks later, the GFA received news of an armed robbery attack on FC Savannah Ladies' bus, which was travelling from Tamale to Kumasi for a Women's Premier League fixture.
The club's physiotherapist was injured in that attack. Again, the GFA called on clubs to avoid night travel and engage security services before making trips. Then, in November 2023, Legon Cities' team bus was attacked by armed robbers on the Bibiani-Kumasi highway at Kwanfifi, as the club was returning from a 3-0 defeat to Samartex in Samreboi.
Defender Nicholas Opoku Mensah confirmed that no casualties were recorded, but that the robbers made off with phones, laptops and money belonging to players and staff.
The GFA, once again, urged clubs not to travel at night and recommended lodging in the town where a match is played before returning the following morning.
That advice went unheeded on Sunday night. The consequences have been catastrophic. The fact that Berekum Chelsea were travelling the same stretch of road between Samreboi and their home, the same route that Legon Cities had been attacked on just two-and-a-half years earlier, raises urgent and uncomfortable questions about why the GFA's own guidance on night travel has not been enforced, and what systemic protections exist for players and officials making these journeys.
The death of Frimpong must be a watershed moment. For too long, the armed robbery of football club buses has been treated as a recurring inconvenience rather than the serious and life-threatening security crisis that it is.
The 20-year-old deserved a long career, a full life, and the chance to fulfil every bit of the talent he was only beginning to show.
Instead, he lost his life doing the thing he loved most. The least Ghanaian football can do for him now is make sure it never happens again.
