Major football stadium tragedies

AFP
By AFP October 02, 2022 02:50 (EAT)
Major football stadium tragedies

TOPSHOT - This picture taken on October 1, 2022 shows security personnel (lower) on the pitch after a football match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java. (Photo by AFP)

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

The stampede at a domestic football match in eastern Indonesia that led to at least 174 deaths late on Saturday is the latest in a long line of football stadium tragedies.

We highlight some of the worst:

 

PERU

May 24, 1964

320 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during a stampede at a Peru-Argentina Olympic qualifier at Lima's National Stadium. Fans could not escape the crush and were trampled or asphyxiated.

 

RUSSIA

October 20, 1982

Mystery still surrounds the total number who died when there was a crush in a stairwell at the end of a UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Dutch side Haarlem at the Luzniki Stadium. Officially the toll remains at 66 - 45 of them teenagers - but according to daily newspaper Sovietski Sport, the numbers were far higher and 340 were killed.

 

GHANA

May 9, 2001

126 people died in Accra at the end of a match between Hearts of Oaks and Kumasi, when Kumasi supporters, angered by their team's defeat, threw projectiles and broke chairs. Police threw tear-gas grenades, triggering a stampede.

 

ENGLAND

April 15, 1989

A crush in the stands at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans during an FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest.

May 11, 1985

56 people were killed when a blaze broke out in wooden stands during a match between Bradford and Lincoln City.

 

GUATEMALA

October 16, 1996

Around 80 spectators lost their lives after being crushed by fans piling into a stand at the Mateo Flores National Stadium for the 1998 World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica.

 

SCOTLAND

January 2, 1971

66 people were killed in a crush at the Ibrox Stadium during a Rangers-Celtic derby. It was the stadium's second disaster, after a stand collapsed in 1902, killing 26 people.

 

EGYPT

February 1, 2012

The Port Said stadium tragedy in Egypt saw 74 people killed after clashes between rival sets of supporters of local club Al-Masry and Cairo-based Al-Ahly.

February 17, 1974

48 people died and 47 were injured when 80,000 people crammed into a stadium with a capacity of 40,000.

 

SOUTH AFRICA

April 11, 2001

43 people died during a stampede at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg during a match between the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs.

January 13, 1991

40 died in a crush at an Orlando Pirates-Kaizer Chiefs match.

 

BELGIUM

29 May, 1985

39 people were killed at Heysel Stadium in Brussels when Juventus fans tried to flee Liverpool fans.

 

FRANCE

May 5, 1992

18 people died and more than 2,300 were injured when a terrace collapsed in Furiani stadium in Corsica.

 

CAMEROON

January 24, 2022

Eight people were killed and dozens more injured in a crush and stampede prior to an African Cup of Nations match between hosts Cameroon and the Comoros in Yaounde.

Join the Discussion

Share your perspective with the Citizen Digital community.

Moderation applies

Sign In to Publish

No comments yet

This discussion is waiting for your voice. Be the first to share your thoughts!