Security alert as Ghana stampede teams meet

Hundreds of extra security personnel will police a Ghanaian football match this weekend as authorities attempt to avoid a repeat of a May stampede which left more than 100 fans dead, officials said on Monday.

The showdown on Sunday between Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko is the first meeting between the two sides since May 9, when a stampede erupted killing 126 people at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Sunday's game in Kumasi, 272kms northwest of Accra, would be overseen by around 300 police and military personnel, a regional government security source said. The beefed-up security is in contrast to arrangements at the stampede match in Accra in May, when only 75 police were on duty.

Security forces at that game came under fire in the aftermath of the tragedy, with several witnesses blaming over-reaction from police against fans for causing the stampede.

Meanwhile, the Kumasi security source told AFP a string of precautionary measures would be enforced at Sunday's match.

Gates to the stadium would be opened early and only closed once the stadium was full. The gates will be reopened 20 minutes before the end of the match to allow fans to leave gradually, the source said. Alcohol would also be banned from sale in the 24 hours leading up to the match.