EIGHT PEOPLE DEAD IN AFCON STAMPEDE AS CAF MOVES QUARTERFINAL TO DIFFERENT STADIUM
At least eight people, including one child, have been confirmed dead and 40 injured in a stampede that occurred at Olembe Stadium on Monday night during Cameroon’s round-of-16 game against Comoros. The Paul Biya Stadium, Olembe, which is located in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, has a full capacity of 60,000 and was scheduled to host a quarterfinal on Sunday, January 30th, which has since been moved to Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, some 12 kilometers away.
According to reports coming from within the capital, the tragedy happened at Olembe when supporters tried to gain access to the stadium through the South Gate to watch the last-16 knockout match between Cameroon and Comoros, which ended in a 2-1 win for the hosts. The Messassi hospital, located 2.8km from the Paul Biya Stadium, Olembe, reported the reception of at least 40 injured people. The hospital claimed they could treat all but a few of them.
Witnesses said that children were among those involved. The incident took place when stadium stewards closed the gates and stopped allowing people in. Although the stadium has a full capacity of 60,000, only 48,000 fans were legally allowed to access the stadium. The Cameroonian government, in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football, provided a stadium capacity of 80 percent due to ongoing Covid restrictions in the country. Officials revealed that 50,000 fans tried to enter the stadium to watch the match, resulting in the stampede.
Governor of the Centre Region of Cameroon, Naseri Paul Bea confirmed the possibility of more deaths. “We are not in the position to give you the total number of casualties,” he said.
CAF released a statement on Monday night confirming that they were aware of the incident and that they were investigating the situation by gathering details on what transpired. CAF President Patrice Motsepe also sent General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba to visit the hospitalized supporters in Yaounde.
Speaking on Tuesday, CAF President Patrice Motsepe blamed the incident on the officials at the stadium and said the stampede wouldn’t have happened if the gates were not closed. “If it was open, they would have walked through and it was closed for inexplicable reasons. If that gate was open as it was supposed to, we wouldn’t have had … this loss of life. We want to know who closed that gate,” he said.
“Clearly there were deficiencies, clearly there were failures. There were weaknesses. There are things that should have been foreseen. You take preventative measures; you take steps to anticipate … certain things.”
Motsepe, who has been under pressure concerning the way the tournament has been handled, reiterated the importance of the safety of the supporters and confirmed that an emergency CAF meeting to discuss crowd safety will be held on Wednesday.
Motsepe also demanded the Local Organizing Committee, who are in charge of security and safety at the tournament, provide a report regarding what happened by Friday. Asked if the tournament would be canceled following the death of at least 8 people, Patrice Motsepe said, “There is a duty to listen to the various stakeholders. The conclusion was to observe a moment of silence before every game.” In addition to the moment of silence that will be observed ahead of every remaining game, players will also wear black armbands in honor of those who have passed.
Cameroon’s Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie visited the hospitalized supporters in the representation of the Cameroon government.
Premier League club Everton tweeted their condolences on Monday night regarding the incident, the only English club to do so.
FIFA also released a statement regarding the incident, saying, “FIFA sends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives following the tragic incident that took place at Olembe Stadium during the Africa Cup of Nations fixture between Cameroon and Comoros.”
“The thoughts and prayers of the global football community are with the victims, the ones who have been injured in this incident, and all the staff of both CAF and the Cameroonian Football Association (FECAFOOT) at this difficult moment.”
Cameroon will take on the Gambia in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Saturday, January 29th at the Japoma Stadium in Douala.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero