African Cup of Nations: Cameroon blames stadium deaths on ‘massive’ inflow of followers

Cameroon authorities have blamed a lethal stadium crush on the African Cup of Nations match on a “massive” inflow of ticketless followers who arrived late to a sport involving the host group and tried to drive their approach in to keep away from safety checks and COVID-19 screening.
In response, the federal government ordered 250 further law enforcement officials for Cameroon’s subsequent sport, a quarterfinal towards Gambia on Saturday at a distinct stadium.
The stampede at Monday’s Cameroon-Comoros final 16 match on the African Cup’s fundamental Olembe Stadium within the capital of Yaounde left eight folks useless and one other 38 injured, seven of them severely. It was one of many worst stadium disasters within the historical past of Africa’s largest soccer match.
Cameroon Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi mentioned at a information convention on Friday that the complete outcomes of a authorities investigation weren’t but obtainable, however he did reveal some new data.
Close to 60,000 followers tried to get into the sport on the Olembe, Kombi mentioned, when the gang was meant to be capped at a most of 48,000 folks due to COVID-19 restrictions.
African Cup organizers have made it obligatory for followers to current damaging virus checks and proof they’re vaccinated towards COVID-19 to attend video games.
But many followers didn’t have tickets or meet the COVID-19 screening standards and so compelled their approach in, Kombi mentioned. Local TV stations have broadcast footage of followers climbing over safety fences on the time of the crush.
“I will not be able to give you the results of investigations ordered by Cameroon President Paul Biya but the massive and late influx of supporters and spectators at Yaounde’s Olembe stadium caused the crush,” Kombi mentioned.
Also, the followers had arrived late as a result of they’d been watching an earlier match on TV, Kombi mentioned.
Authorities haven’t but defined why safety officers directed followers towards a gate that was locked, as witnesses have claimed and which contributed to the crush. Or why safety was so insufficient and so simply overwhelmed.
Kombi can also be the president of Cameroon’s native organizing committee for the match.
He mentioned the elevated safety for Cameroon’s sport towards Gambia within the business capital Douala on Saturday was “to stop the uncivil behavior of Cameroonians who want to force themselves into the stadium when they do not have entry tickets and negative COVID-19 test results.”
Kombi mentioned organizers would now not enable youngsters beneath the age of 11 to attend video games after a lot of youngsters have been caught up within the crush on the Olembe.
The Confederation of African Football, which runs the African Cup alongside native organizers, has taken one of many quarterfinals away from the Olembe Stadium because of the crush. CAF president Patrice Motsepe mentioned the Olembe additionally is not going to host a semifinal and the ultimate on Feb. 6 until Cameroon soccer officers can assure the video games shall be secure.
The further police presence on the Japoma Stadium in Douala for Saturday’s sport was additionally in response to an incident at that stadium throughout a bunch sport between Algeria and Ivory Coast, when round 40 followers invaded the sector on the finish of the match. Some of the followers grabbed maintain of gamers and needed to be dragged away.
People help victims of a stampede outdoors a stadium internet hosting an African Cup of Nations soccer sport in Yaounde, Cameroon, Monday Jan. 24, 2022. Several folks have died in a stampede that occurred as crowds struggled to get entry to Olembe Stadium to look at the host nation play Comoros in a final 16 knockout sport in Africa’s high soccer match. (AP Photo/Thierry Noukeu)

Cameroon police chief Martin Mbarga Nguelle mentioned he has personally overseen the safety preparations for Cameroon’s quarterfinal.
The Central African nation of Cameroon was meant to host the African Cup in 2019 however was stripped of that yr’s occasion by CAF due to issues with its stadium preparations. CAF warned Cameroon as not too long ago as just a few months in the past that the services and safety plans on the Olembe have been insufficient and threatened to take the opening sport away from the 60,000-seat enviornment, which value Cameroon over $300 million to construct for the African Cup.