The other day at the Ivory Coast somewhere in Africa, thousands of fans forced themselves into the already packed 35,000-capacity stadium to watch a game between Ivory Coast and Malawi in an African qualifier for the 2010 World Cup. Fans were eager to catch a glimpse of their hero Didier Drogba, a native of Ivory Coast who plays for Chelsea in the English Premiere League. He scored 2 goals in a 5-0 win over Malawi.
That victory had a sad note as 19 fans were killed and more than 100 injured after a stampede when police fired tear gas at the crowd. This was the fourth time that police tear gassed the crowd in a football game in Africa, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
Since 1964, about 1,400 were killed and thousands more injured in stadium riots and stampedes and here are some of the worst football stadium tragedies:
May 1964, Lima, Peru - 318 fans killed and more than 500 injured in a riot at National Stadium.
June 1968, Buenos Aires, Argentina - 74 fans killed and more than 150 injured when they tried to leave the stadium thru a closed exit and were crushed by other fans.
January 1971, Glasgow, Scotland - 66 fans were killed and 140 injured when barriers at Ibrox Stadium collapsed near the end of a match.
October 1982, Moscow, Russia - 340 reported killed during a European Cup match when fans tried to reenter the stadium, crushing each other in the process.
May 1985, Bradford, England - 56 fans die when a thrown cigarette ignited the stadium’s wooden terrace section, the resulting fire engulfing the area.
May 1985, Brussels, Belgium - 39 fans killed in a Euro Cup final when Liverpool fans breached segregation and charged their Juventus counterparts, crushing them to a wall that eventually collapsed. As a result, English clubs were banned for five years from European competitions.
March 1988, Katmandu, Nepal - 93 fans killed and more than 100 injured when they fled a hailstorm and rushed to locked stadium exits.
April 1989, Sheffield, England - 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to their deaths when police open gates to ease crowding, resulting in a mad rush to the already crowded section. This incident led to the dismantling of the fences and the introduction of seats on the grounds in all top-tier Premiere League games.
October 1996, Guatemala City - 84 fans killed and more than 150 injured during a stadium stampede before a World Cup qualifying match.
April 2001, Johannesburg, South Africa - 43 fans killed and 155 injured when they tried to push themselves into an overcrowded stadium.
May 2001, Accra, Ghana - 123 fans died in a stampede when police fired tear gas into the stands in retaliation to fans who threw bottles and chairs into the field.
Between October 2004 to the most recent incident the other day at Ivory Coast, there were three other instances in Togo, Zambia and Liberia, all in Africa, that caused the deaths of 24 football fans, one caused by a power outage, another one caused by a victory celebration.
Thankfully, these incidents are alien to us as football here don’t have rabid followers compared to European, South American and African fans. Although several leagues resulting in top-level matches are organized locally, we seldom see packed football pitches. Hellooo. This country, whose original ancestors can be traced to pygmies, idolize and patronize a game created and coming from the land of giants. –THE FREEMAN