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Minister: Let's collectively fight hooliganism
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 tragedy such as the May 9 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 on Sunday, said the biggest tribute to give to the over 127 supporters that lost their lives during a football match between arch rivals Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, was to ensure a zero tolerance for hooligans at match venues.
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He explained that hooliganism as a canker to football could only be fought collectively, and added that government was ready to put in the best of infrastructure that could help 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 our 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 behaviours 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 Okudzato Commission on the disaster to prevent a recurrence.
“We lost very healthy and abled 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 Okudzato Commission to help prevent the incident from recurring but hooliganism must be avoided at all match centres,” he said.
The CEO of Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah called on his teeming supporters to view football as a unifying sport despite the rivalries it came with.
He called on the government to take away inner perimeters from match venues to allow supporters march to the field whenever there would be a stampede.
“It happens to be the second largest in the world and on days like this it is important that we emphasise on 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 (NCC) of Hearts, Mr Elvis Herman Hesse lamented the continuous hooligan behaviours 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 dead, 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 government’s massive improvement on security at match venues and said his outfit would continue to put in structures to change the notion of 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 the university education with 25 remaining students yet to complete tertiary.
“We continue to take good care of them to reflect what they would have enjoyed if their parents were to be alive,” Mr Annan said.