A stampede that occurred during a AFCON qualifying match for the January 2024 Nations cup in Cotonou, Benin, resulted in at least two fatalities.
According to local media, the tragedy occurred on Saturday just before an AFCON Qualifier match between the Cheetahs of Benin and the Teranga Lions of Senegal was set to begin at the Stade du General Mathieu Kerekou.
A flood of supporters caused the public focus to change from the football players to the stadium’s stands minutes before kickoff. A witness told newsmen that when people at the entry pushed their way inside, they collided with those who had just arrived, triggering a stampede.
“People were dropping like flies. Many were trampled, asphyxiated and some stuck to the railings,” another witness told the sports news agency. “I saw people come in en masse. When the scene started, the stewards downstairs, instead of warning their colleagues outside to close the door, were there advising people to go next door while they were trapped.”
The event’s organisers and security personnel were all gathered on Sunday by Benin’s sports minister to discuss the cause of the fatal tragedy.
Access is free for all national team games, however a pass is necessary to enter via the venue’s gates.
Reports indicate that the Beninese administration declared 48 hours prior to the event that attendees may pick up their tickets from nine distribution stations, all of which ended up being overflowing.
Abdoul Rachid Mumuini of Benin scored in the 78th minute to equalise Abdoulaye Seck of Senegal’s first-half goal, which brought the game to a 1-1 tie.
