Former Kumasi Asante Kotoko boss, Herbert Mensah has called on Ghanaians never to forget those who perished during the May 9, 2001 stadium disaster at the then Accra Sports Stadium. Mr. Mensah said, “that painful spectre will forever remain on my mind and I know those martyrs are resting peacefully in the bosom of the Lord.” On May 9, 2001, 127 soccer fans lost their lives when they were stampeded into a steep stairwell when police fired teargas to stop rowdy fans. In a message on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the May 9 disaster Mensah said: “The families, friends and associates of all those who lost their lives continue to endure the pain of losing their loved ones, many of whom were breadwinners for their families. “For months after that incident I had nightmares remembering the terrible sight when some of us went to the stairwell to help rescue trapped supporters. “We all owe it a duty to those who lost their lives to ensure that never again will such a horrible disaster befall Ghana,” Mensah said. The former Kotoko CEO said a lot of effort had gone into ensuring stadium safety including the construction of four new stadia in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi and Tamale but a lot more needs to be done across other league centres where even inner perimeter fencing is non-existent and matches are teleguided by supporters who threaten match officials and visiting teams. “Football is a highly emotional game and while we call on supporters to always exercise restraint our national authorities need to liaise with the various district authorities to work at ensuring that soccer pitches and stadia across the country are built to required standards to ensure safety. It is an expensive venture that we cannot compromise on. We owe it to those who lost their lives on May 9, 2001 to ensure that every stadium is safe. “Our referees also need to play their role. There has been enormous improvement in match officiating since May 9, 2001 but there are still lapses in refereeing and all relevant authorities need to pool resources to help improve officiating. That will improve the standard and quality of the game and ensure that football fans have confidence in the game. That will then ease the violent emotion that sometimes builds up during soccer games,” Mensah noted. Mensah also called for better medical facilities at stadiums saying, “it is an eyesore to see Good Samaritans carry collapsed fans in bad postures during soccer games. More medical facilities need to be provided at matches so injured or dehydrated fans can be carried on stretchers. Soccer fans can also be given First Aid advice before matches and campaigns can be done through the media to help save lives.”