The former Chief Executive of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club, Mr Herbert Mensah, has called on all Ghanaians to uphold the spirit of unity and love and avoid turning sporting events into bitter events of rivalry. In a statement issued to the media to mark the 6th anniversary of the May 9 stadium disaster, Mr Mensah counselled relatives and loved ones of the victims to remain strong in the belief that God continues to watch over their lost ones. He said: “The ultimate sacrifice made by their loved ones, has brought about a realisation for the need to redefine the parameters of stadia security and safety and that this has propelled the victims into martyrdom.” “It is six long years since the bitter events of the fateful night, but the tragedy is still fresh in my mind and I believe it is the same in the minds of relatives and loved ones and indeed most Ghanaians,” he said. “While we pray for the souls of the Martyrs of May 9, we enjoin all Ghanaians to forget the sad events of that fateful day and forge ahead”, Mensah stated. Mensah said while a lot of effort has gone into changing the face of officiating and security of matches in the country, much still needs to be done. “Football matches in Ghana are still plagued by organisational problems and a lot of our stadia and parks are still death traps rather than avenues for show of sportsmanship and to this end, the government and football authorities have to take urgent action to address such issues.” The renowned sports administrator lamented the dearth of sponsorship of the game in the country and that it was imperative that the current FA while riding high on the successes of the Black Stars identify avenues to properly resource the Premier League and indeed the other lower leagues. The Chief Executive said, “That will ensure that clubs can within the short to medium term, plan to build their own stadia to standards that exist not only in Europe but elsewhere on the continent and by so doing guarantee the safety of both players and fans”. Mensah, currently a Consultant of Prosport Ghana Limited, a player management consultancy regretted that dependants of the May 9 disaster are still struggling to make ends meet because a lot of them lost the breadwinners of their families. “Even though the government paid ¢10 million apiece to families of the victims, it did little to help such dependants recover from the trauma and reality of losing forever a loved one and breadwinner”. As a country, we should do more for these unfortunate ones and I pray that some remedial action, however belated it is, would be taken as we mark the fateful day today, he said. Families of victims in Accra and Kumasi received donations of foodstuff and cash from Mensah at ceremonies in both Accra and Kumasi. 126 fans of both Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak died on May 9, 2001 when fans run amok over what some felt was a controversial goal and the police had to fire teargas into the stand during a Hearts – Kotoko league match. A Committee of Enquiry set up to investigate the circumstances that led to the tragedy, recommended the prosecution of the police officers who handled security on the fateful day. The officers have since been tried and acquitted of manslaughter. Source: GNA