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Mr Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports, laying a wreath at the Accra Stadium to mark the commemoration
Mr Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports, laying a wreath at the Accra Stadium to mark the commemoration

Let's collectively fight hooliganism - Minister

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Mustapha Ussif, has called on all stakeholders in the football fraternity to come together to eradicate hooliganism in football to help prevent another national disaster such as the May 9 football tragedy.

Mr Ussif, who was speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 20th edition of the May 9 Disaster at the Accra Stadium yesterday, said the biggest tribute to give to the over 127 supporters that lost their lives during a football match between arch rivals Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, was to ensure a zero tolerance for hooligans at match venues.

Hooliganism

He explained that hooliganism as a canker could only be fought collectively, and that the government was ready to put in the infrastructure that would prevent stampedes at the various stadia.

“We cannot commemorate this day without talking about the circumstances that led to that national tragedy.

“The greatest tribute we can give to the departed souls is for all stakeholders to come together to ensure it never happens again,” Mr Ussif said.

“It rests on all of us to ensure zero tolerance to hooligan behaviour at match venues to help curb the canker,” he added.

The Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Peter Twumasi, said his outfit had implemented several recommendations made by the Okudzeto Commission on the disaster to prevent it from recurring.

“We lost very healthy and able bodied men and women in a very horrific manner which continues to serve as an indelible mark on our country,” Prof. Twumasi noted.

“The NSA has implemented several recommendations made by the Okudzeto Commission to help prevent the incident from recurring but hooliganism must be avoided at all match centres.”

The CEO of Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah, called on the teeming supporters to view football as a unifying sport despite the rivalries it came with.

Inner perimeter fencing

He called on the government to take away inner perimeter fencing from match venues to allow supporters access to the field whenever there is a stampede.

“It happens to be the second largest in the world and on days like this it is important that we emphasise the need to see football as a unifying sport despite the rivalries involved,” he said.

For his part, the Chairman of the National Chapters Committee of Accra Hearts of Oak, Mr Elvis Herman Hesse, lamented the continuous hooligan behaviour at match venues despite the numerous education by stakeholders to avoid another disaster from taking place.

“It is, however, sad that after this tragedy that saw 127 supporters die, some supporters continue to engage in such hooligan acts at match venues.

“We want to appeal to supporters to desist from engaging in such acts to prevent another May 9 from taking place,” Mr Hesse said.

The Vice-President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Mark Addo, praised the government’s massive improvement in security at match venues and said his outfit would continue to put in structures to educate supporters on hooliganism.

Mr Christopher Annan, a Representative of the May 9 Disaster Fund, explained that over 148 children of the deceased supporters had gone through university education with 25 remaining students yet to complete tertiary education.

“We continue to take good care of them to reflect what they would have enjoyed if their parents were alive,” Mr Annan said.

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