One of Africa's biggest teams has been penalised by FIFA ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The international governing body of association football's disciplinary committee has found the Ghanaian national team guilty of breaching Articles 17 & 58 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the Black Stars have confirmed in a statement.
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During the side's opening 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Madagascar on 17 November, Inaki Williams scored a stoppage-time winner to seal the victory for his team, much to the delight of the home supporters at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
However, with fans having streamed on to the field to celebrate the late goal, FIFA ruled that there "was an intruder" on the pitch, and added that there were people in the inner perimeter who should not have been there.
"The sanction also adds that there were unapproved and unaccredited number of people inside the inner perimeter, some of whom joined the players to celebrate Inaki Williams' winning goal in the closing stages of the game," the Ghana Football Association said in a statement.
Subsequently, the Black Stars have been fined 5 000 Swiss francs (about R108 000) for the disciplinary breaches.
They were, however, also praised by the world football governing body for their security services "being proactive in dealing with the matter".
With AFCON looming, it has also been confirmed that the Ghanaian side will use South Africa to begin their preparations for the continental showpiece set to take place in the Ivory Coast from 13 January to 11 February.
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With Johannesburg set to be their base of operations for about 10 days following their arrival on 31 December, the Black Stars will play a friendly match against Botswana on 8 January before departing for the tournament.
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