May 9th – Never Again!!

The Ohene Djan Sports Stadium (then Accra Sports Station) tragedy which took away 127 lives is the worst, most ghastly stadium disaster to have taken place in Africa. May 9th! What this date now represent MUST change our lives, our nation, our sport and our passion after a period when the whole nation were plunged into angst, pain, throbbing, indelible tears and untold sorrow.

For many, the incident has illustrated the perils of old stadiums, unprepared policing and inadequate security protocols. While stadium security has been improved in other parts of the world where disasters were once common, our officials have not sufficiently addressed the problem. We seem in the dark as we view up decisions to make for another disaster. Stadium disasters— whether they are caused by stampedes, fan violence, collapsing stadium structures or other reasons—have been an untoward part of soccer in all parts of our beloved country for over a century. I was at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi to watch the local rivalry game between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak in 2008 and the scenes that rolled up right in front of my eyes were just reminiscent of a country who isn't ready to learn. Angry Kotoko fans threw plastic bottles onto the pitch and destroyed one of the gates of the stand in their match against Sporting Mirren at the Ohene Djan Stadium in 2009 in a case which clearly tells of our lackluster way to learn from debacles .

It surely isn't worth crying over split milk with regards to the May 9th incident. Whats the forward you might be tempted to ask? We must be inspired by altruistic acts of courage. We must sustain our munificence in reaching out to those affected by this tragedy. We must continue to teach the attitudes of respect, fairness and tolerance that call us to reject odium, revenge and violence. Let us rededicate ourselves to this cause. Our nation has endured trials, and we face an intricate road ahead.

Let us lead Ghana football into an unblemished age of great forbearance and tolerance.

Lets get going, Ghana!