May 9 Stadium Disaster: Ghana Marks 25 Years Since Tragedy That Claimed 126 Lives
Credit: myjoyonline
“There are things that we can’t erase from our minds. And for me, it was May 9th,” said Herbert Mensah, former chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
On Saturday, Ghana marked the 25th commemoration of the May 9 stadium disaster in Kumasi, one of the country’s deadliest sporting tragedies, in which approximately 126 people were killed and many others injured.
The May 9, 2001, tragedy occurred during a football match when crowd violence and a police response triggered panic inside the stadium, resulting in a stampede that led to multiple fatalities at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Twenty-five years on, the anniversary continues to be marked through remembrance centred on shared memory, human connection and reflection among those linked to the event.
The commemoration has also extended beyond Ghana, connecting with people affected by other stadium tragedies abroad, including some families from the Ellis Park disaster in South Africa who have taken part in shared moments of reflection.
“There are some things that will stand with us forever, the death of a person, the birth of a person, a great sporting victory, a great sad sporting loss. There are things that we can’t erase from our minds. And for me, it was May 9th, 2001” said Herbert Mensah, former Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko and current President of Rugby Africa.
The annual commemoration has evolved into a gathering where people return each year not only to honour those who were lost, but to reflect together as a nation.
It has also grown into year-round engagement, with continued contact and support linked to those affected, reinforcing its human dimension beyond a single annual event.
“It’s not a one-day event. We bring people together here in Kumasi every year, sometimes from all over the country, and it becomes part of what May 9th is really about; those who remain, those who have been lost and those we continue to remember as a nation. Ultimately, it’s the fact that Ghana knows May 9th stands for something; something bigger than the day itself, something that stays with us and something we are determined will never be forgotten,” Mensah said.
The initiative is supported by corporate and philanthropic organisations, including Kivo, Interplast, the Sunda Group, GB Foods, Melcom, Kwabena Kesse’s hospitality support, and other contributors across the country.
The collaborations have supported community programmes including medical assistance for children, mobility aid distribution, essential supplies, and broader humanitarian support such as the Shen Yang & Shen Yuet Children’s Heart Foundation, which provides fully funded surgeries for children with septal defects (hole in the heart) based in Ghana.
As Ghana continues to mark the anniversary, the commemoration emphasises a broader message of humanity across different faiths and communities across the country. “That is what May 9 has come to represent, people of different faiths, different backgrounds, standing together in one space, and I am grateful for every single one of them,” adds Mensah.
