Two fans killed and 19 injured after stampede at Soweto derby
The stampede occurred during the match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at the Carling Black Label Cup, one of the victims has been named.
On Saturday, two football fans lost their lives and 19 were injured during a stampede at the clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
Two weeks before the match, organisers announced that tickets were sold out and there would be strict security measures at the FNB Stadium, the largest in Africa.
The stampede was caused by fans trying to force their way into the stadium 20 minutes before kick-off.
Allegedly, some fans were carrying fake tickets and forced entry when their tickets couldn’t be scanned.
After the tragic event, the match continued as planned, with Kaizer Chiefs beating Orlando Pirates one goal to nil.
Authorities confirmed that they decided to let the game go on to avoid a possible subsequent disaster that could have resulted if the game was cancelled.
The derby was attended by more than 84,000 fans.
One victim identified
One of the two fans that died during the stampede has been identified.
Irvin Khoza, chairman of the Soweto-based club Orlando Pirates, revealed during a media briefing that the name of the identified victim is Prince Chauke.
“On behalf of Orlando Pirates Football Club and Kaizer Chiefs, we want to extend our condolences to the families of the two deceased members. I will ask everybody to stand to observe a moment of silence for Mr Prince Chauke of the Sabie branch and also the member that has not yet been disclosed in view of the members of the family not being contacted,” said Khoza.
Not the first of its kind
This is not the first time that an event of this kind has occurred in South Africa.
Back in 2001, a similar stampede took the lives of 43 people at Ellis Park in Johannesburg during a midweek league match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
It was the country’s worst football-related tragedy and came as spectators tried to force their way into the stadium.
'Nobody goes to a soccer match to die so when there is a loss of life, it is a tragedy. Nothing we do or say can bring back the supporters that have died,” said Irvin Khoza regarding Saturday’s tragedy.
The FNB Stadium hosted the FIFA World Cup final in 2010 between Spain and the Netherlands. It was thevenue chosen by Nelson Mandela to give his first speech after being released from prison in 1990, as well as the site were a memorial was held soon after his death in 2013.