The Youth and Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, has reiterated the need for football fans to commemorate the May 9 Accra stadium disaster with useful lessons.
The Yabaga Kubori Member of Parliament said this on Sunday during the 20th anniversary commemoration of the May 9 stadium disaster at the Accra Sports stadium.
“We cannot give this day a worthy commemoration without picking lessons from what happened and the circumstances leading to the tragic loss.
“Sports and for that matter football, is one of the pillar upon which harmony and cohesion is built, no matter the rivalry, could be achieved. But on that fateful day, we missed the essence of the sport, and the effect was the unimaginable national tragedy we had,” he said.
The greatest tribute we can always pat to our departed brothers and sisters is for all stakeholders to continue to join hands and ensure that never again, Ussif added.
Some 127 football fans died after a stampede broke out at one of the stands at the Accra Sports Stadium during a league match between rivals Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
Police officers fired tear gas into the stand in their efforts to control rioting fans but resulted in a stampede killing the fans.
Present at the commemorative event were GFA vice-president Mark Addo and Executive Council member George Amoako. Others included Professor Patrick Twumasi, Director General of the National Sports Authority, Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Alhaji Yussif Adam, Directors of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Nana Yaw Amponsah, CEO of Asante Kotoko, Elvis Herman Hesse, Board Member of Herts of Oak, the Ghana Supporters Union and Henry Asante Twum, Director of Communications for the Ghana Football Association.
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