May 9: GFA marks 17th anniversary

The Ghana Football Association is marking the 17th anniversary of the May 9 stadium disaster.

A statement issued by the FA on Wednesday, said: “Today marks the 17th anniversary of the May 9 Stadium tragedy and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) wishes to express its profound condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

“Today is a day of sadness and grief as we, once again, remember the incident that led to 127 football fans losing their lives following a stampede during a Premier League match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the Accra Stadium in 2001.

“As we mark another anniversary of this sad occurrence, we remember our fallen friends, colleagues and comrades, who lost their lives in supporting the game and the competition they loved.

“The GFA remains committed to honour the memory of our fallen friends by continuing our efforts to improve safety standards in our match venues.”

The statement added: “The GFA wishes to appeal to all football administrators, security officers, medicals, and, indeed, football-loving Ghanaians to co-operate with the GFA and other stakeholders to ensure we don't experience such incidents in our game again.

“We call on clubs to continue educating their fans on the laws of the game, and to remain law-abiding before, during and after league matches.

“Let us constantly remind ourselves that never again should such a tragedy befall our beautiful game and our beloved nation.

“May the souls of our departed football enthusiasts rest in perfect peace.”