MAY 9 IN DANGER (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, MARCH 29, 2010)

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

THE planned May 9 commemorative match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak appears to be in limbo.
This was after Kumasi Asante Kotoko pulled out of the match.
According to the management of Kotoko, their action stemmed form an earlier statement by Hearts of Oak that they would never play any non-competitive match with Kotoko.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports set up a committee to plan and organise activities in commemoration of May 9 Accra stadium disaster.
The committee was among other things to organise a commemorative match between the two giants.
A statement issued on behalf of the sector Minister Ms Akua Sena Dansua, by Kofi Aggrey, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, said the Committee was made up of representatives from Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ghana League Clubs Association, (GHALCA), Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) and the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG).
Nii Nortey Dua, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, was named the chairman of the committee.
The Accra Sports Stadium disaster occurred on May 9, 2001. It took the lives of 126 people, making it the worst stadium disaster to have ever taken place in Africa.
It occurred during a match between Ghana's two most successful football teams, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
The home side scored two late goals to defeat Kotoko 2-1, which led to disappointed Kotoko fans throwing plastic seats and bottles onto the pitch.
The response to the crowd disturbance from the police was to fire tear gas into them.
Panic ensued and a resulting stampede led to the deaths from compressive asphyxia of 127 people.