As the country marks 18 years since the Accra Sports Stadium disaster in 2001, former Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Herbert Mensah, says the country missed an opportunity to cleanse the system and put in place proper structures to avoid a recurrence.
127 fans died in a stadium stampede when police fired tear gas into a crowd of supporters during a game involving Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
The Sam Okudjeto commission was set up to look into the incident and Herbert Mensah, Kotoko chairman at the time, says many people in higher office should have been prosecuted after the incident.
“I’ve always believed that people must take responsibilities for their actions. And it’s not the small people, it’s the big people I’m talking about,” he said on Face to Face with Godfred Akoto Boafo.
“In any other country, the Minister of State would have resigned; the Interior Minister would have resigned; the Minister of Sport would have resigned; there were would have been prosecutions for people who were involved directly; police commissioners and members of national security would have lost their jobs; and it would have set a mark.
“We would have then had a look at the way we run football and cleanse the system.”
Mensah has played an active role in commemorating the events of 18 years ago, holding a walk and bringing the families of the diseased together for a remembrance ceremony each year through his May 9 Remembered Charity.
This year’s event was marked with a donation at the Kumasi Central Mosque where he urged muslims to pray for the departed.
