Soccer stampede: sale of fake tickets may be cause

FAMILIES were yesterday still to be officially consulted about the death of their loved ones in a stampede that killed two soccer fans before the Soweto derby kickoff at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

“We cannot release the names of the deceased yet because we understand some family members have not been properly consulted about the death of their kin. So we are awaiting confirmation before we can visit the families,” said City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun.

This as an investigation was launched to determine whether the stampede could be linked to fake ticketing.

Two people aged 30 and 33 died and two were left critically injured on Saturday afternoon during the Carling Black Label Cup match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

At least 19 people, including a child, sustained minor injuries.

The deaths were allegedly caused by blunt force trauma.

Sun said initial information indicated that one of the causes of the stampede was the sale of fake tickets at the stadium.

“There were allegations of counterfeit tickets being used at the entrance, but investigations later showed the problem was at the ticket vending machines,” he said. “A group of unticketed persons pushed their way into the stadium and that’s when the stampede occurred.”

Suzanne van Aswegen from Stadium Management SA said un-ticketed members of the public forced a number of emergency gates open despite the presence of police and private security,

“As the gate flung open due to the pressure of these people pushing the gate – chants of ‘push, push, push’ were heard by eyewitnesses – the people pushing at the front of the gate fell over and the people from behind literally clambered right over them, causing blunt force trauma injuries,” said Van Aswegen.

Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said: “We have opened an inquest to establish what caused the stampede. There are various allegations that will be investigated and one is that of the fake tickets.”

The stampede broke out at Gate J of the stadium, reminiscent of the Ellis Park disaster in which 43 fans were killed in a football league match in 2001.

SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan said he would demand a full report and investigation.

Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said she was confident that investigations would unearth the cause of the stampede.

OUR hearts go out to the families of two soccer fans who died and those injured during a stampede at the Carling Black Label Cup clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at the FNB stadium on Saturday.

Have we not learnt from the Ellis Park tragedy in 2001, the worst sporting accident in South Africa’s history and listed as one of the world’s worst, when spectators for a derby between the same two teams pushed to get into the packed stadium in a tragedy that claimed 43 lives?

Reports at the time suggested that 120 000 fans were admitted – double the stadium’s capacity.

The situation then was aggravated by the excitement of a goal scored moments after the game had kicked off, which led to fans still outside surging forward in their desire to try to see the action on the pitch.

That match was suspended as, in a macabre scene which lives on in our memories, bodies – including those of fans as young as 13 – were laid out on the pitch.

The final tally was 29 dead inside the stadium, and 14 outside.

In Saturday’s incident, the deaths came outside the packed stadium and without those on the pitch or in the stands even being aware of the situation unfolding at Gate J.

In a statement, the organisers confirmed two fatalities caused by blunt force trauma, one critically injured and 16 with minor injuries, following a turnstile stampede.

The organisers, seemingly wanting to avoid further panic, let the match continue, with Chiefs securing victory against their Soweto rivals.

But the death toll turned victory into defeat for the beautiful game.

Football is loved the world over and South Africa is no exception.

Every measure at every game needs to be taken to ensure effective crowd control and avoid stampedes.

The organisers have some tough questions to answer this week, in particular whether the alleged selling of “fake” tickets at the gate had a part to play in the latest tragedy, and if it was right to allow the game to continue as if nothing had happened.