SPORTS MINISTER MUST ANSWER (FEB 11)

THE country was once again traumatised by the horrors of another football tragedy following the death of four football fans who were among the spectators who crammed themselves into the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi to witness the epic league clash between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak last Sunday.
Events leading to the death of these fans were alarming and avoidable and it brought to the fore the dangers that innocent football fans often face as a result of dereliction of duty by football authorities, indiscipline by fans and the lack of professionalism on the part of security personnel assigned to protect lives and property.
In spite of the huge security presence at the stadium to ensure orderliness and safety, it was shocking to hear that some fans took the law into their own hands by scaling over the wall into the stadium after the sale of tickets had been halted and the gates closed. Interestingly enough, as the scaling went on, police personnel looked on powerlessly.
Needless to say, the lives lost last Sunday were avoidable and it is increasingly becoming worrisome that matches involving Hearts and Kotoko, instead of showcasing the beautiful side of Ghana football, are turning into a source of tragedy and anguish of unimaginable and unbearable proportions.
We recall that Africa’s worst football tragedy, the infamous May 9 tragedy of 2001 which claimed the lives of 127 innocent fans in a stampede during a league match at the Ohene Djan Stadium, involved these same rival football traditions.
More worrying is that the Sam Okudjeto Commission which investigated the May 9 tragedy made several recommendations in respect of crowd control, security, among other issues, during football matches, particularly Hearts-Kotoko games, but eight years down the line the major actors, such as the National Sports Council (NSC), the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and other stakeholders, have not strictly adhered to these rules.
Only last November when Ghana played Lesotho in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Essipon Stadium in Sekondi, many fans were injured after a stampede arising out of overcrowding, leading to the collapse of the East and West gates. As in last Sunday’s case, security personnel failed to control fans who forced their way into the stadium, even though the match was sold out.
Regrettably, each time such tragedies occur, officials of the NSC, the GFA and the clubs are quick to engage in blame games, without accepting their mistakes, which is the first step to addressing the recurring problem of crowd control.
The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations which saw the government investing huge sums of money in modern infrastructure and improved safety practices was hailed as a huge success not only in terms of the great football exhibited but also for effective crowd control and general organisation. Unfortunately, the Nations Cup legacy appears only on paper, yet to be operationalised by the authorities.
Ghana cannot afford yet another football tragedy and the earlier our sports officials sat up to the looming danger, the better. Enough of these needless deaths.