The Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon has already been criticized a lot for its poor organization.
Representatives of a number of teams said that they had to wash their own uniforms in hotels, and players from Malawi were poisoned by poor-quality food.
But before the match of the 1/8 finals of the tournament, in which the hosts of the competition met with the national team of the Comoros, a real tragedy occurred.
At least eight people, including a child, were killed in a stampede outside the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.
Another 50 fans received injuries of varying severity.
A preliminary report from the country's health ministry, quoted by AFP, said the injured were immediately taken by ambulances to hospitals, but heavy traffic slowed traffic.
Nasseri Paul Biya, governor of Cameroon's central region, said the death toll could rise as several fans are in critical condition.
One child was also taken to a medical facility, who was almost trampled on by the crowd, but his condition is assessed as stable.
According to preliminary estimates, the tragedy could have been provoked by the actions of the stewards who closed the gate and stopped letting spectators into the southern stand.
Officials said about 50,000 people tried to get into the match.
The stadium has a capacity of 10,000 more, but this time, due to restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, it could not be filled more than 80%.
According to an eyewitness of the events, journalist Leocadia Bongben, at some point she saw the restless behavior of the fans in one of the fan zones outside the stadium and went to the scene.
“People started screaming.
A minute later, an ambulance arrived at the arena, but when we got there, the police did not allow us to approach the place where the stampede took place.
It’s very sad when people go to watch the game and die there, ”the BBC quoted the correspondent as saying.
At the same time, as BBC Africa producer Nick Cavell said, the fans who were at the match did not know about the incident until the news appeared on social networks.
They saw the scene of the tragedy, already leaving the stands.
The African Football Confederation responded to the incident with an official statement: "CAF is currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details about what happened."
It is specified that CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba will visit injured fans in the hospital.
The Minister of Health of Cameroon, Manauda Malachi, has already visited the victims, about which he wrote on Twitter.
“I have just visited the hospitals that received the victims of today's incident at the Olembe stadium to show them all the compassion of the presidential couple.
Everything is ready to provide them with free care and optimal support.
Strength and patience!”, — said the official.
The International Football Federation also hastened to express its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the tragic incident.
"The thoughts and prayers of the global football community go out to those affected by this incident and to all the staff of the African Football Confederation and the Cameroon Football Association at this difficult time," FIFA said in a statement.
It should be noted that Cameroon was supposed to host the African Cup of Nations back in 2019, but in January of the same year, CAF moved the event to Egypt due to fears that the stadiums would not be ready for the start of the competition.
And then the tournament was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It's not the first time football stampede tragedies have taken place in Africa.
In 2015, in Cairo, thousands of fans tried to get into the stands at the meeting of the Zamalek and Inby clubs.
Egyptian police fired tear gas, causing panic and a stampede that killed 19 people.
In April 2001, 43 people were victims of a stampede at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg during a game between the Orlando Pirates and the Kaiser Chiefs.
This incident is considered the worst in the entire sports history of South Africa.
Six people are reported to have been killed and dozens hurt in a crush outside a stadium hosting an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroon.
Video footage showed football fans struggling to get access to the Paul Biya stadium in a neighborhood of the capital Yaounde.
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— Charles Ayitey (@CharlesAyitey_) January 24, 2022