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The former Chairman of Asante Kotoko, Herbert Mensah has called for stiffer punishment for football hooligans who threaten the survival of the game.
The renowned sports administrator believes for domestic football to be developed to attract the attention of businesses, the football authorities should deal with hooliganism at match venues.
According to Mr. Mensah, no organization will invest in businesses full of hooliganism hence for the domestic league to developed, violence in the league should be dealt with accordingly.
“Am more concern with the violence going on at our stadium, though I don’t know of Kurt’s plans towards the development of the Ghanaian league because I have not been part of them [GFA], I think they should uplift our game”, Herbert Mensah said as the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the May 9th stadium disaster.[ads1]
He added that “As an administrator, you are looking for money to invest in the game but no business will invest in the league if full of hooliganism and if the domestic league is bringing millions of dollars, then it easiest to dictate to the club administrators on how they should run it.”
Mr. Herbert Mensah who was the Chairman of Asante Kotoko at the time of the second biggest recorded stadium disasters is true to nature remembering the tragedy of 9 May 2001 for the 20th consecutive year in 2021 with a series of events in Kumasi.
The Accra Sports Stadium disaster occurred at the then Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana on May 9, 2001. It took the lives of 127 people, making it the worst stadium disaster to have ever taken place in Africa.[ads4]
Since that tragic day in 2001 a group of philanthropists under the leadership of Herbert Mensah, supported by various individuals and companies in Ghana, religiously remembered the day with a series of events that include prayers at churches and the central mosques in Accra and Ghana, a huge “May 9th Remembered” street walk” in Kumasi and a football match between teams from both the South and the North.
Due to the devastating coronavirus pandemic, this year’s edition of the commemoration was limited without any football match and street walk but a visit to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam.
Mr. Mensah with support from the United Kingdom-based charity group DESO donated wheelchairs, walking aid to the disabled in the Ashanti Region on Thursday.[ads1]
Mr. Mensah believes with what is happening in Ghana football for the past months, Ghanaians haven’t learnt anything from the tragic incident despite the awareness created. He was of the conviction that hooliganism in Ghana football needs to be stopped no matter what happened at the match venue.
He thanked DESO, Interplast, Sunda International, Gino, Eagle Rice, Melcom and other organizations and individuals for making the commemoration of the May 9th disaster a successful one.
Meanwhile, the group led by Herbert Mensah will be meeting the President of the republic, Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday, May 10, 2021, at the Flagstaff House in Accra.
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