Ghana’s Football Federation is commemorating a tragic incident that occurred twenty-three years ago, on May 9th, 2001.
126 football fans died during a stampede at an Accra sports stadium.
Thousands had converged at the Ohene Djan Stadium to witness the nation's biggest local league fixture, Accra Hearts of Oak versus Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
The game between the two football rivals ended 2-1 in favour of Accra Hearts, which led to disappointed fans hurling missiles into the pitch, according to the police, who responded by firing tear gas to disperse the protesting fans.
This led to a stampede as fans fled the stadium in desperate attempts to escape.
An inquiry set up by the government after the incident blamed the police for the tragedy, and six officers were charged with manslaughter.
“Year in, year out, the football fraternity and its friends huddle together to honour the memory of the dearly departed and to share strength with the families they left behind and those who sustained injuries on that dark day in Ghana's football history,” Ghana’s Football Federation Kurt Simeon-Okraku said in a statement on Thursday.
Faulty stadium design
The inquiry also found that the stadium’s design played a role, as most had died from suffocation and trauma.
Regarding the behaviour of fans in football games, Ghana’s Football Federation says they continue to work to remove hooliganism from the sport.
“This commemorative events serve as constant reminders that our continuing efforts to rid Ghana Football of hooliganism and make our stadiums safe is the biggest tribute we can pay to those who unfortunately died and those who were scarred by the events of May 9th, 2021. Their sacrifice will be meaningless if we relent in this endeavour,’’ the statement said.
Stampedes during football games on the continent and globally are a recurring incident.
During the last AFCON 2022 tournament, a crush outside a stadium in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, left at least eight people dead and more than 35 injured, according to officials.
Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
