May 9th: 25 Years Later — Have We Learned, Or Are We Just Remembering?

Accra Sports Stadium. May 9, 2001. 5:30 p.m.
Hearts of Oak had just beaten Asante Kotoko 2–1. A disputed goal. Plastic chairs flying. Tear gas fired. Then the stampede.

127 Ghanaians never made it home.
Twenty‑five years later, we still call it “The May 9th Disaster.”

We hold memorials. We wear black armbands. We tweet “Never Again.”

But as a son of Ghana who was young at the time, I must ask:

Have we truly learned — or are we simply remembering?

THE FACTS WE CANNOT FORGET

That Wednesday evening, over 40,000 fans packed a stadium built for 25,000.

When angry Kotoko supporters ripped seats and hurled them onto the pitch, police responded with tear gas — into a closed stand.

The gates were locked.
The exits were narrow.
Panic did the rest.

127 dead — men, women, children. The youngest: 11‑year‑old Yaa Comfort from Suame.
150+ injured — broken limbs, trauma, asthma attacks from the gas.
Thousands scarred — fans who still cannot watch a derby without anxiety.
The Okudzeto Commission concluded it was preventable: poor crowd control, over‑ticketing, inadequate exits, no medical plan.

One hundred and twenty‑seven lives lost for three points. That is Ghana’s shame.

WHAT CHANGED AFTER MAY 9TH?

To be fair, some reforms followed:

All‑seater stadiums — Accra and Kumasi phased out “popular stand” concrete terraces.
Emergency drills — NSA now trains stewards before major matches.
The May 9th Fund — created for victims’ families, though many say disbursement stalled.

But here is what didn’t change — and what should worry every Hearts and Kotoko fan:

1. We Still Overcrowd

Visit Baba Yara on a Super Clash day. Tickets say 40,000. Your eyes say 55,000.

Officials still “help” extra fans in.

We learned nothing about greed versus capacity.

2. We Still Build One‑Exit Stadiums

Many Division One and regional venues still have a single main gate.

In an emergency, one gate becomes a death trap.

Stand at Aliu Mahama Stadium on an RTU or Karela match day and ask yourself:

If tear gas were fired, where would these thousands run?

3. We Still Blame Fans First

2001: “Kotoko fans were hooligans.”

2026: “Hohoe United fans are hooligans.”

We never ask why armed police with tear gas are the first response to plastic chairs.

Crowd control is a science. Ghana treats it like combat.

THE TWO CLUBS: UNITED IN GRIEF, DIVIDED IN RESPONSIBILITY

Here is the painful beauty of May 9th: Hearts and Kotoko fans died together.

Different jerseys, same stampede.
Buried in the same week.
Families mourning on the same day.
Yet 25 years later:

No joint safety charter
No annual joint stadium safety audit
No combined fan‑education programme

Rivals on the pitch must be partners in safety.

Because the next May 9th — God forbid — will not check whether you wear rainbow or red.

BEFORE THE 26TH ANNIVERSARY: FOUR NON‑NEGOTIABLES

1. To the NSA & GFA: Publish the Safety Audit

Before every Super Clash, publish:

Number of tickets printed
Number of stewards per 1,000 fans
Location of all emergency exits

If we can publish betting odds, we can publish safety odds.

2. To GPL Clubs: Train Fans, Don’t Just Sell to Them

Use five minutes before kickoff for a safety video — like airlines do.

“In case of emergency, walk, don’t run. Know your nearest exit.”

A life is worth five minutes of “boring” content.

3. To the Police: Tear Gas Is Not Crowd Control

CAF banned tear gas in stadiums for a reason.

Use trained stewards, barriers, and dialogue first.

A plastic chair is not worth a child’s lungs.

4. To Us, the Fans: We Are Our Brother’s Keeper

Stop selling your ticket and then jumping the wall to “help” a friend in.

That extra body could be the one that blocks the exit.

Your anger may be valid — but throwing a bottle is not.

TO THE 127: WE OWE YOU MORE THAN A MINUTE’S SILENCE

We owe you a Ghana where no one dies for football again.

We owe Yaa Comfort, 11, a stadium where children are safe.

We owe Razak, 24, who left work early to watch his Phobians, a system that values life over gate fees.

We owe the Kotoko fan who died in a Hearts jersey — given to him so he could escape — a country where humanity beats rivalry.

This May 9th, don’t just post “Rest in Peace.”

Ask your DCE: “Is our stadium safe?”

Ask your MP: “When was the last safety audit?”

Ask your club chairman: “What is your emergency plan?”

Because “Never Again” is not a hashtag.

It is a policy.
May the souls of the 127 rest in perfect peace. May we be worthy of their memory.

Nyame nfa wɔn kra nsie. God keep their souls.

By: Salifu Haruna

Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 0247620454

ABOUT THE WRITER

Salifu Haruna is a youth activist from Tamale and a lifelong Ghana football fan. He believes the best way to honour the dead is to protect the living.