Advertisement

Kotoko boss banned 5-years over Kumasi Stadium disaster

Exactly 7 years today, Sylvestre Asare Owusu was found guilty and banned from all football related issues for 5 years for the role he played that resulted in the death of 4 souls during Kotoko 2-1 loss to Hearts in Kumasi.
Advertisement

On 6 April, 2009, the Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club,

Advertisement

Four persons lost their lives and over 400 persons sustained various degrees of injuries due to overcrowding at the 40,000-capacity stadium during the February 8 clash.

The Kotoko Chief Executive Officer had openly declared that he took monies from fans who scaled over the wall of the Baba Yara Stadium to watch the game.

After a critical review of the Five-member Committee's report, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, Minister of Youth and Sports said Government takes serious view of the conduct of the Asante Kotoko CEO in view of his position and the responsibility that comes with it. "Mr Asare-Owusu will be charged for stealing and prosecuted accordingly. In addition, the amount of 820 Ghana Cedis, which he declared to the public as the amount he collected at the stadium during the match will be retrieved and paid to Government chest. "Mr Sylvester Asare-Owusu is also banned from all football related activities in the country for the next five (5) years." The banning of Asare-Owusu and removal from office of the National Sports Council boss, Prince Ernest Oduro-Mensah has been described as the highest points of the Government's actions on the recommendations of the Committee.

Sylvestre Asare Owusu led committee of Kotoko was dissolve by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu for the poor run of results by the club on April 18, 2009, so the issue of the ban died out, but Sylvestre Asare Owusu since then hasn’t been to active football administration.

Advertisement

The Regional Sports Development Officer, Mr S. Kofi Doku-Doudu and Deputy Accountant of the National Sports Council, Mr J.H. Arthurwere also asked to resign and proceed on leave respectively. Two Police Officers, Superintendent Antwi-Boasiako and DSP V.O. Abrokwa were also been penciled for interdiction from the Police Service.

Alhaji Mubarak said part of the Committee's recommendation include the classification of matches in the country into three categories; A, B and C.

"Category A matches will involve matches involving national teams as well as the nation's most supported clubs Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak.

"Category B will involve matches involving Hearts or Kotoko against other clubs, while Category C is made-up of matches involving all other clubs."

This recommendation was implemented and now all premier league games are categorized into A,BC.

Advertisement

The Minister of Youth and Sports pledged Government's commitment towards making the country's various stadia incident-free whilst urging the media and fans to expose practices by officials that may tend to cause recurrence of such unfortunate incidents in the country. Hearts beat Kotoko 2-1 in the said match.

It would be recalled that on May 9, 2001, 126 people died at the Accra Sports Stadium in a game between Hearts of Oak and Kotoko in the worst stadium disaster on the continent.

Advertisement
Latest Videos
Advertisement