Nothing of this magnitude had ever happened in Ghana, but on this day, many fans returned home without their friends, families, and fellow fans.
One fan left without 35 of his friends after he narrowly survived due to an unlikely hero and a miracle.
That one fan was football administrator Abdul Aziz Haruna Futa, who broke down in tears on national TV while narrating events leading to the darkest day in the country’s football history.
Aziz had to be consoled by the hosts when he narrated the story 15 years after that day. On that day, though, something else was his comfort.
During the darkest day in Ghana’s football history, an unexpected lifesaver was the hero of the day for some supporters trapped in the chaos.
Not emergency health workers, but a sachet of ice cream. Yes, a yogurt ice cream.
Ridiculous right? But that was the reality for some fans who saw their lives flash right before their eyes on that fateful day.
Hearts of Oak’s victory stained by blood
It was supposed to be a thrilling match between Ghana’s top two football clubs, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, at the Accra Sports Stadium on May 9, 2001.
With thousands of fans filling the stands, emotions ran high on the rainy day as Hearts of Oak came from behind to win 2–1 with two late goals. Lawrence Adjei opened the scoring for the Porcupine Warriors before two late strikes from deadly striker Ishmael Addo helped the Phobians edge past their rivals.
However, in the end, the victory didn’t matter. One hundred and twenty-seven (127) souls drew their last breath when chaos rocked the stands, leading to what is now the darkest day in Ghana’s football history and remains the worst stadium tragedy across Africa.
Disappointed Kotoko supporters claimed the assistant referee had raised his flag for an infringement leading to the goal.
However, the referee on the day Wilson Sey said he gave an advantage because the supposed foul was on Hearts of Oak’s attacking player, who was Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.
The visiting fans did not accept this decision in good faith, and they began throwing plastic seats and bottles onto the pitch. Tensions heightened, and the situation grew into full-fledged chaos.
Police fire tear gas, chaos erupt
To control the situation, the police fired tear gas into the stands. This caused panic among the crowd. Fans scrambled to escape the choking fumes, but many of the stadium gates were locked. With fewer exits than originally designed, the rash quickly turned into a deadly stampede.
Trapped in a gory stampede with yogurt ice cream
Trapped in this grisly stampede was Abdulai Ibrahim Illiasu, alias Zinga – a familiar name within the famous Phobian ultras, Chapter O.
A goosebumped Zinga narrated this chilling experience to Sporty FM journalist Emmanuel Ayamga. Recounting the circumstances leading to the high-stakes match and the unfortunate preceding events, he shared:
We knew something would happen on that day, so we didn’t wear any overt Chapter O or Accra Hearts of Oak apparel. We all wore a white T-shirt with the inscription: ‘Ever Powerful Chapter O’, that’s what we wore. In those days, we used to beat Kotoko a lot… so, the information we had was that ‘Zinga, the match will be tense, and you’ll be beaten if you win against Kotoko. Hence, none of you should wear a Hearts jersey; a white T-shirt will do.’ And we obliged.
Therefore, tempers flared when Ishmael Addo stuck that last dagger through Kotoko hearts to win the game for Hearts.
Some unhappy away fans, according to Zinga, began breaking the plastic seats and flying them onto the pitch. The police issued a warning for them to stop, but that fell on deaf ears, and the police responded by firing tear gas into the irate supporters.
They dispersed and ran towards the Chapter O stand. When they got there, Zinga said they pleaded with the police to stop firing, but they didn’t listen. What followed was a scene only seen in movies. The staunch Phobian continued:
The first tear gas they fired, the person in front of me collapsed first. It was only God that saved me. I also collapsed. But you know it rained on that day, and there was this boy selling yoghurt, which had all melted and turned liquid.
I was down struggling due to suffocation from the teargas, then I realised my hands had touched something cold. I picked it up and saw that it was a yoghurt. When I drank it, it neutralised the effect of the tear gas. I got strength from that and started feeding some of the other collapsed spectators with yoghurt.
In the absence of water in the stands, he believes strongly that the yogurt ice cream was what saved his life, and that of other fans, including a female on the day.
Yogurt ice cream – the unlikely hero
Remember Aziz? Just like Zinga, he maintains it was a miracle and God’s grace that he’s still alive. But did not forget to give credit to the unlikely hero on that rainy day. The yogurt ice cream.
A misty-eyed Aziz shared:
There was a guy selling yogurt, who also had to run and leave the yogurt. Because of the pain in my eye, I had to take one of the yogurts. There’s a lady there, then she snatched the yogurt from my hand [to also use]. Then I realised that no, everybody had to run for their lives.
It is understood that the probiotics in yoghurt can help restore balance to your digestive system, which may be upset by tear gas exposure.
For the many who were unlucky and far away from this unusual lifesaving hero on the day, they perished. Aziz and others who rushed to find an exit, fell on each other and screams for help grew louder.
Face-to-face with death
He saw a familiar face in the piled-up bodies but as he reached for help, the friend gave up the ghost.
I saw one of my Chapter O members, actually I was calling his name; ‘Oh Muda, Oh Muda, help me. Muda help me.’ He just looked at me and turned his head. He’s gone. It’s not easy.
Bodies, both conscious and unconscious, flooded the 37 Military Hospital and Ridge Hospital in Accra. Families thronged these hospitals and other nearby clinics in search of their loved ones.
This memory has scarred many football fans affected both directly and indirectly by the May 9 disaster, and together with other factors, matchday attendance has consistently taken a nosedive.
May 9: Never Again
In the early 2000s, both teams were at the peak of their powers, and stadiums were filled several hours before kick-off. This was confirmed by Zinga, who believes what we have now and experienced during the recent Super Clash is an eyesore.
With key stakeholders such as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kurt Okraku, and Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Iddie Adams, calling for an end to hooliganism during the 24th memorial at the Accra Sports Stadium today, it’s important to assess how this impacts the beautiful game.
Never again! Never again should yogurt ice cream be in the position to act as a superhero at a Ghana football match.
Humans should’ve averted what happened and someone should’ve been held responsible for the carnage on May 9.
