The people of Ghana this weekend commemorated the 19th anniversary of the Ohene Djan Stadium disaster that killed 127 football fans in 2001. The fans perished after police fired tear gas into the stands in their efforts to control rioting fans of arch-rivals Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko during a Ghana Premier League match in Accra. Hearts of Oak scored two late goals to win the match with displeased fans ripping up seats and throwing them on to the pitch.
The police actions resulted in a stampede in which fans lost their lives while attempting to escape. The official medical report revealed that 116 deaths resulted from compressive asphyxia and 10 fans died from trauma. Hundreds more were seriously injured during the incident, which has been ignominiously called Africa’s worst-ever stadium disaster.
Incredibly, one fan, Abdul Mohammed, had passed out during the stampede and was moved to a morgue, believed to be dead. He regained consciousness after someone accidentally stepped on his foot, narrowly missing being buried alive.
An official inquiry into the tragedy blamed police for recklessness, over-reacting and indiscriminately firing plastic bullets and tear gas. It also accused some officers of dishonesty and indefensible laxity.
Six police officers were charged with 127 counts of manslaughter. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to make a case and that the asphyxia may have been caused by the stampede and not the tear gas. The commission of inquiry recommended improvements to stadium security and first aid facilities. A bronze statue was erected outside the stadium of a fan carrying another fan to safety with the inscription “I Am My Brother’s Keeper” in honor of the victims of that tragedy.
Following the incident, Ghana’s then president, John Agyekum Kufuor, declared three days of national mourning while the Ghana Premier Football League suspended play for a month.
In a statement to mark the day, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said it remains committed to honoring the memory of the fallen by continuing its efforts to improve safety standards at match venues. It called on clubs to continue educating their fans on the laws of the game and to remain law-abiding before, during and after league matches.