Ade Coker Stand To Be Renamed May 9 Stand

The North Stand of the Accra Sports Stadium where 126 soccer fans lost their lives after the fourth week premier league match between Accra Hearts of Oaks and Kumasi Asante Kotoko would be renamed the "May 9 Stand" in their memory.

At a familiarization tour of the Stadium on Tuesday, Mr Edward Osei Kwaku, Minister of Youth and Sports, said the renaming together with a monument to be erected within the stadium would serve as an important reminder of what happened on that day to all visitors.


He tasked the National Sports Council (NSC) to submit proposals for the repair of damaged stairways as recommended by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry for the repair work to be done before the Champion of Champions match between Hearts and Kotoko in February.


On the damaged chairs, he asked the NSC to replace them in the interim while government considered plans of building a new modern stadium elsewhere. The Minister expressed concern about the spate of cheating that went on at the gates and asked that prudent measures be instituted to stop the practice to enable the NSC to raise substantial revenue to improve facilities at the various stadiums.

Mr Osei Kwaku again charged NSC to look for ways of putting extra exits in addition to the two at the Osu Stands to avert possible disaster in the future.


The Minister promised to revert sporting facilities at the Kaneshie Sports Complex, which is at present in the care of the National Youth Council, back to the NSC only on condition that they found some resource to upgrade the facilities.