By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – African football has been rocked by disaster when at least 15 people were killed and more than 20 injured in a stampede at a match in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital of Kinshasa. The tragedy reportedly occurred after police fired tear gas, provoking a stampede during the playoff match between ASV Club and the Tout Puissant Mazembe on Sunday evening.
“Four policemen were harassed by supporters. When they fired tear gas, the stampede began, causing the deaths,” local minister Emmanuel Akweti was quoted as saying.
Television images showed supporters, blinded by the gas, rushing for the exits.
According to DRC’s Radio Okapi, ASV Club supporters hurled a hail of missiles from the stands because of the poor performance of their team, forcing the referee to halt the match several times.
The station said police fired tear gas canisters into the crowd and, in the ensuring chaos, a stadium wall collapsed. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta immediately launched an enquiry into the disaster “to identify those responsible.”
Local reports say the match, on the sixth and final day of the play-offs, ended with a 1-0 victory for visiting Mazembe who were thus crowned national champions, even though, in the 90th minute, the referee was forced abandoned the game entirely.
Before the game Vita officials had apparently protested about the “degrading treatment” their own players had endured in an earlier game against the same opponents, in Lubumbashi, and which Mazembe also won.
Issa Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football, called for the Congolese football federation (Fecofa) to thoroughly investigate the disaster.
In a CAF statement, Hayatou said the whole of African football was “deeply saddened” and added: “I wish to re-emphasize that any acts of violence have no place in football. “
“They must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and I urge the Fecofa and authorities in the DRC to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that measures put in place to avoid a repeat of any incidents are fully briefed with CAF and forestall any such occurrence.”
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