Herbert Mensah to lead 25th May 9 Disaster commemoration in Kumasi
Former Asante Kotoko Board Chairman Herbert Mensah is set to spearhead activities marking the 25th anniversary of the May 9 Stadium Disaster this week in Kumasi.
The tragedy, regarded as the deadliest stadium disaster in Africa, occurred on May 9, 2001, at the Accra Sports Stadium during a Ghana Premier League clash between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. A total of 126 supporters lost their lives in a stampede that followed crowd disturbances.
Ahead of this year’s remembrance, Mensah disclosed that between 100 and 200 people are expected to travel from Accra to join the commemorative events in Kumasi.
Activities begin on Friday with prayers at the mosque led by National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, alongside traditional leaders and other dignitaries. A major public gathering is also scheduled for Saturday, with a large turnout anticipated. International attention has also been drawn to the anniversary, with the BBC producing a documentary on the disaster.
“It’s something we've been doing for 25 years, so it will be a repetition of what we do, except more families will be involved. We have some guests from overseas who will be involved. The BBC are running a whole documentary on it this week,” Mensah told Luv FM.
After a quarter-century, discussions around accountability, justice, and reforms in stadium safety continue to dominate reflections on the tragedy. Mensah says the issues remain unresolved in many respects.
“There is a lot of interest over the 25-year period as to what Ghana’s position is. How did we handle the investigations? Was a sense of justice and closure brought? What infrastructure changes were brought? It’s a constant assessment. There’s no full stop. It continues as people go to sporting ventures, whether football or something else,” he said.
He further pointed to recent incidents in Ghanaian football as evidence that safety concerns persist.
“When you have situations like what happened with Pooley last year, then it saddens people that people still cannot control themselves in stadiums, but the world has moved on in 25 years,” he added.
Mensah also reflected on the human cost of the disaster, highlighting survivors and families still affected decades later.
“I know Rani in Accra, a Hearts of Oak supporter. She lost her husband. She was a teenager at that time, so she’s still young today. And a son who never saw his father just graduated, and they are looking for some form of assistance, which we will hopefully be able to provide,” he said.
He added that many families of victims remain in close contact with organisers of the remembrance events.
In addition to commemorative activities, Mensah noted that the initiative has grown into humanitarian work. Through the Shen Yang and Shen Yuet Children’s Heart Foundation, where he serves as secretary, more than 110 children have undergone life-saving heart surgeries at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital over the past 15 months, providing critical support to families dealing with congenital heart disease.