Chaos in Cameroon As 6 Football Fans Killed, Over 40 Injured As Host Defeat Comoros to Reach Quarterfinal

• AFCON 2021 match between Cameroon and Comoros degenerated into a stampede, leaving no fewer than six football fans dead
• More than 40 persons were left injured following the incident which occurred at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde
• Thousands of fans thronged the stadium in the country’s capital to support their team to a 2-1 win over Comoros in the Round of 16

No fewer than six football fans died as a result of a stampede during the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 tie involving hosts Cameroon and Comoros.

Aljazeera is reporting that more than 40 persons were also injured in a crush while attempting to get into the Yaounde Olembe Stadium on Monday.

The Indomitable Lions are through to the quarterfinal of the competition following a 2-1 win over ten-man Comoros after the Coelacanths were reduced to ten men in the 7th minute.

The Olembe Stadium in Yaounde has a capacity of 60,000 and due to Coronavirus, crowd capacity has been limited to 60 per cent, and then 80 per cent for matches involving the host team.

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Match venues thrown open in Cameroon

Cameroon’s national broadcaster reports that due to low turnout in the preliminary rounds, the gates have been thrown open.

Authorities have also embarked on mass awareness including free buses to and from match venues, while free tickets are given out.

Cameroon’s state broadcaster CRTV said:

“A crush at the entrance to the Olembe Stadium” caused “half a dozen deaths and dozens have been injured”.

The Confederation of African Football, which runs the continent’s flagship competition, said it was “investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired”.

Fan violence in Europa League

Over the years, overcrowding at football matches has resulted in hundreds of deaths around the world.

Last year, the Europa League clash involving Marseille and Galatasaray had to be briefly halted due to a bizarre case of fan violence.

Flares were tossed around during the clash as fans confronted each other, leading to the game being stopped for at least eight minutes.

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Marseille has been infamous for its fan’s involvement in violent incidents this season but on Thursday, September 30, they took it to a new level.

The game was clearly overshadowed by the fan incidents and once it went on, both sides failed to score and it ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Michael Essien criticises refereeing at AFCON

Sports Brief earlier reported that a former Chelsea and Ghana star, Michael Essien, has been left shocked by officiating at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The legendary footballer was left stunned by the red card given to Comoros captain Jimmy Abdou in their last 16 clash against hosts Cameroon.

Essien took to Twitter to express his disappointment at the referee, asking if football has become that soft.