Wednesday’s violent riots in Egypt that left at least 73 people dead following a heated soccer match isn’t an anomaly.
When you combine an overcrowded stadium filled with tens of thousands of pumped-up fans and two teams fighting head to head on their soccer field, accidents are bound to happen.
Sometimes it’s fans protesting after an upset or sometimes it’s an old stadium collapsing. Either way, soccer’s history includes a long list of riots that have ended with fatalities, injuries and millions of dollars in damages.
Global News and the Associated Press lists fatal disasters at soccer stadiums around the world:
May 24, 1964 – Lima, Peru; 318 people are killed and another 500 injured in riots at National Stadium after Argentina beats Peru in an Olympic qualifying match. The pandemonium breaks out when the referee disallows a Peruvian goal in the final two minutes.
Feb. 17, 1974 – Cairo, Egypt; Crowds attempting to enter a club game broke down barriers and 49 people were trampled to death.
Dec. 6, 1976 – Port-au-Prince, Haiti; At a World Cup qualifier between Haiti and Cuba, the visitors scored and a Haitian fan set off a firecracker. Fans thought it was gunfire and panicked, knocking down a soldier, whose gun went off and killed a small boy and girl in the crowd. Further panic caused two people to be trampled to death, and one man died jumping over a wall. The soldier committed suicide.
Oct. 20, 1982 – Moscow; 340 are reportedly killed at a European Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Haarlem of the Netherlands. Police are blamed for pushing fans down a narrow, icy staircase before the end of the match. When a late goal is scored, exiting fans try to re-enter the stadium and create a “human mincer.” Moscow officials dispute the claims made in the publication of the Soviet Sports Committee, saying only 61 died and police did not push fans.
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May 11, 1985 – Bradford, England; 56 people die when a cigarette stub ignites a stadium’s wooden terrace section and fire engulfs the structure.
May 29, 1985 – Brussels, Belgium; 39 people are killed at the European Cup final at Heysel Stadium when riots break out and a wall separating rival fans of Liverpool and Juventus collapses.
March 12, 1988 – Kathmandu, Nepal; At least 93 people are killed and more than 100 injured when fans fleeing a hailstorm stampede into locked stadium exits.
April 15, 1989 – Sheffield, England; 96 people are crushed to death at an FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, when police open gates to alleviate crowding outside Hillsborough Stadium. The resulting rush of people onto the already filled terrace sections traps fans against riot control fences ringing the field.
Jan. 13, 1991 – Orkney, South Africa; at least 40 people are killed, most of them trampled or crushed along riot-control fences that surround the field, when fans panic and try to escape brawls that break out in the grandstand.
May 5, 1992 – Bastia, Corsica; 17 people are killed and 1,900 injured when a temporary grandstand, erected to increase the capacity of the stadium from 8,500 to 18,000, collapses before a French Cup semifinal between four-time defending league champion Marseille and second-division club Bastia.
June 16, 1996 – Lusaka, Zambia; Nine fans were crushed to death and 78 others injured during a stampede following Zambia’s victory over Sudan in a World Cup qualifying game.
July 14, 1996 – Tripoli, Libya; A riot at a match involving a team controlled by a son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi killed or injured up to 50 people. No exact figures were reported in the Libyan-controlled press.
April 23, 2000 – Monrovia, Liberia; At least three reported dead and others injured as thousands of fans forced their way into an overcrowded stadium for a World Cup qualifier between Liberia and Chad.
July 9, 2000 – Harare, Zimbabwe; Thirteen people died after a stampede at World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Zimbabwe.
April 11, 2001 – Johannesburg, South Africa; 47 people were killed during a league match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in an overcrowded stadium. People outside tried to push into Ellis Park stadium and were trapped against barbed wire. Police had earlier fired tear gas at people stampeding outside the stadium.
May 9,, 2001 – Accra, Ghana; At least 123 people died in a stampede notoriously known as the worst stadium disaster in Africa. Police fired tear gas into the stands after fans throw bottles and chairs onto the field.
June 3, 2007 – Lusaka, Zambia; 12 fans are crushed to death as a crowd rushes through the city’s soccer stadium once the country won against Congo in an African Cup qualifier.
Spetember 27, 2011 – Rabat, Morocco; Seven people were killed in a riot following a soccer match in Morocco’s disputed Western Sahara region, the state news agency reported. Three died after being run over by cars, while two were killed by policemen, reports say. Another 27 people were injured.
Feb. 1, 2012 – Port Said, Egypt; Egyptian state TV says at least 73 were killed as fans of rival teams Al-Masry and Al-Ahly rushed the field following Al-Masry’s 3-1 upset victory. Fans hurled stones and sticks at each other, sparking a stampede.
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