CAN 2022: the deadly stampede due to the “reckless” opening of a stadium door according to the Cameroonian Minister of Sports

The tragedy, which caused the death of eight people, took place at the entrance to the Olembe stadium before the Cameroon-Comoros match on Monday.

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Posted on 01/28/2022 22:02 Updated on 01/28/2022 22:08

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The stampede that killed eight people in Yaoundé on Monday ahead of an African Cup of Nations match was due to the “reckless” opening of a door by security forces “in the face of a human tide”, said, Friday, January 28, the Cameroonian Minister of Sports. The southern entrance “was temporarily closed by the police in the face of the surge of spectators while other doors were operational” at the large Olembé stadium in the Cameroonian capital, assured Narcisse Mouelle Kombi to the press.

But, “faced with the pressure, and overwhelmed by this human tide, the security elements proceeded in a reckless manner to open the gate of the South entrance, causing a great scramble” which resulted in the “tragic” death “of eight people, including a child and two women, he continued.

The minister also acknowledged that the number of members of the security forces was “insufficient”. But he also blamed the holders of counterfeit and used tickets, and the supporters who wanted to enter without a ticket, to justify this influx in front of the South door.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, which also left 38 injured, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Patrice Motsepe announced the move of the quarter-final scheduled for Sunday from the Olembé stadium to the second stadium in the capital, Ahmadou Ahidjo . He also announced that CAF would not allow other matches to be played there if the Cameroonian authorities did not present him with an investigation report before Friday.

Mr. Motsepe had already indicated on Tuesday that the jostling was linked to the closing of one of the gates to the stadium. He had deemed this decision “inexplicable”. “If this door had been opened as it should have been, we would not have had the problem that we have now, these losses of life. Who closed this door? Who is responsible for this door?” he hammered in front of the press.

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