Herbert Mensah slams gov’t over May 9 snub

President of the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) and former chairman of Asante Kotoko Football Club Mr. Herbert Mensah has bemoaned the utter lack of public or government support for the May 9 memorial over the years.

He said at this year’s commemoration at Accra Stadium yesterday that “In Ghana we see that no public official have been involved in giving support over the years other than my father, Otumfuor.”

“The only other person in public office who has actually come down to contribute to this rather than making statements is Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Manhyia South. Every year he gets involved. These people don’t really want publicity but they do it because they care and I take off my hat for them.”

The former Kotoko boss noted that he continues yearly to commemorate the May 9, 2001, Accra Stadium disaster despite the lack of public official support because he and others want to give hope to the families of the over 127 victims who died on that terrible day.

He appreciated all private businesses and media organisations and personalities in Ghana whose support and sponsorship for this year’s memorial have helped bring families of Ghana’s biggest stadium disaster victims from despair to hope.

“There are people who always ask me why I continue to do what I do and I ask them, what else can I do? May 9 has been a tragic moment in the history of Ghana and we have to fight for it to remain on the map. To see great people go to see football and then losing their lives is absolutely terrible.”

“I feel drained but proud to know and to keep in touch over the years with the families of these great people’ Mr. Mensah continued ‘to see their young children growing up, to see those who have not given up.”

He pointed out that in line with the theme to give hope to families of the 127 victims in Ghana; he brought down two family members of the 43 victims of the Ellis Park stadium disaster in South Africa which also occurred in the same year of April 2000.