The queen competition of African football in mourning. A stampede caused the death of at least 8 people on Monday evening in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in front of the stadium hosting the Cameroon-Comoros round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations (CAN). A drama whose circumstances should be clarified, after the opening of an investigation requested by the Cameroonian president. We take stock.
What happened ?
The stampede took place shortly before the start of the match, at the southern entrance to the Olembé stadium in Yaoundé, the largest in the country. Around 8 p.m., many supporters were still outside the building, hoping to reach the stands quickly. But “we reinforced the checking process, which delayed the entry of spectators”, explained to the microphone of RMC, André Mirabeau Mahop, a Cameroonian journalist present on the spot. “At one point people came en masse wanting to enter, the police demanded that only one person be passed at a time, and there was a stampede,” he said. added.
Overwhelmed, the police would then have opened two security gates, causing major crowd movements forward, details L’Équipe, which speaks of “indescribable chaos”. “Suddenly, it fell everywhere, with women, young people and people were screaming, they were crying. People were falling on top of each other. It was impressive because you can’t imagine that on a football stadium, ”explained to the Associated Press agency, Kassim Oumouri, star commentator on Comorian television.
In the crush, dozens of people still tried to climb the gates in front of the stadium entrance, according to videos posted on social networks. A scene of anguish and total confusion still described by André Mirabeau Mahop: “I saw several dozen people lying on the ground a quarter of an hour before kick-off, it was going in all directions…”
Present on site, Professor André Omgbwa Eballe, director of the Olembé district hospital, said he saw “the courage of Cameroonians”. “It was really resourcefulness, I saw people resuscitating others, others doing mouth to mouth, otherwise we would have had more deaths,” said the doctor.
What assessment?
The latest report shows 8 dead, including that of a child, the Ministry of Health said on Monday evening. In all, 38 people were also injured in the tragedy, including seven seriously.
A baby was trampled by the crowd, still outside the stadium, when the health pass was checked, according to the Ministry of Health. The infant, “immediately extirpated and taken to Yaoundé General Hospital” is in “medically stable” condition, the ministry said.
Some victims were “immediately transported” in ambulances but “heavy road traffic slowed the transport”. Other injured, lighter, were taken care of inside the stadium, specifies the TV5 World channel. The secretary general of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was sent to the hospital to visit the victims, L’Équipe reported.
What next?
Cameroonian President Paul Biya has ordered an investigation “so that all light is shed on this tragic incident”, said Minister of Communication René Emmanuel Sadi. Incidentally, the government “once again called” on Cameroonians “for a sense of responsibility, discipline and good citizenship for all for the total success of this great sports festival”.
The confederation also assured that it was investigating “the situation in order to obtain more details on these incidents”. “We will, with CAF and the government, find appropriate measures to improve things and ensure that everything goes smoothly, but we cannot guarantee perfection in this area, no country can,” assured Abel Mbengue, spokesperson for the Local Organizing Committee, citing “similar tragedies in Europe, France, Spain, England…”. New measures should be announced “in the evening”, he promised on Tuesday.
For their part, the players learned of the drama, after the match, once in the mixed zone. “We send our sincere condolences to the families. And we hope that the authorities will take measures to ensure that this does not happen again, “said Collins Fai, Cameroon full-back, to from TV5 Monde.
What precedents?
Similar tragedies have already bereaved the world of football in Africa in recent years. The most recent dates back to July 15, 2017. That day, eight people were killed and hundreds injured in a crowd movement at the Demba Diop stadium in Dakar, after clashes between supporters during the League Cup.
Finally, 2001 was a particularly dark year for African football: on April 11, 43 people died when thousands of ticketless fans forced their way into the already packed Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. South. A month later, on May 10, 2001, 126 people died in Accra, Ghana during clashes between supporters. The police had fired tear gas and the spectators, wanting to flee, had found the gates of the stadium closed.
