football stadium deaths are known to have happened in the past, and a new tragedy has left 17 dead and scores of people injured after a stampede when panic spread among a crowd. The Hindu news reported that the tragic events on Friday that caused the deaths in the football stadium will be thoroughly investigated
Football match turns deadly for spectators
The fans who died in the football stadium had turned up to watch a match between Santa Rita de Cassia and Recreativo de Libolo who were participating in the domestic league season in Angola which is in the southwest of Africa.
A police spokesman said in a statement that there were young children numbered among the dead. So many people were hurt that various hospitals are tending to the scores of injured from the football stadium stampede.
Dead football fans were crushed to death
The dead football fans were crushed to death as hundreds of people tried to enter the already packed football stadium. In the stampede for access to the football grounds, people were pushed over, fell to the ground and then were crushed or suffocated under other people. Panic spread which made the situation worse. In a statement on their website, the Recreativo de Libolo club said that "While the players were on the field, outside fans were trying to get into the stadium and a gate probably gave way to the pressure of the crowd causing several people to fall who were literally trampled on by the crowd." There are thought to be as many as 59 others injured in the incident.
Poor stadium crowd control
Lusa, the Portuguese News Agency reported that team managers believe the fault lies with Angolan Police, who had placed the barricades too close to the entrance to the football stadium. Lusa said that the president of the host team, Pedro Nzolonzi, felt that the crowd control was dismal. They quoted him as saying that the football stadium deaths that happened as a result of the stampede were caused by "....(a) serious police error in letting the people so close to the field." He also said, “Many of them did not want to pay and those who had tickets could not get in.
Then the confusion began.”
Angop news agency wrote that the government as called for a full investigation into the football stadium death of 17 people. The country of Angola in Africa is a minor player in world football and are ranked at 148 in the FIFA world rankings.
