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Soccer match crowd-crush kills at least 56 in Guinea.
At least 56 people were killed, including some children, in a stampede at a soccer match in southern Guinea after fans of the visiting team took exception to a series of calls by the referee.
An investigation was underway into what caused Sunday’s crowd crush at a stadium in the city of Nzerekore, Information Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement.
Many people were also injured, some of whom are in critical condition in the hospital.
Prime Minister Bah Oury condemned the scenes that preceded the stampede.
“The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labe and Nzerekore in Nzerekore,” Oury said in a statement.
“The regional authorities are working to restore calm and serenity among the population,” he added. The government is monitoring the development of the situation and reiterates its call for calm so that hospital services are not hindered in providing first aid to the injured,” said Oury.
Local media reported that clashes broke out at the match in support of President Mamady Doumbouya’s ruling military regime between fans and security and police, who fired tear gas after the crowd invaded the pitch.
“Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes,” Doumbouya’s administration said in a statement that warned the death toll could rise.
Footage circulating online appeared to show fans clambering over the wall of the stadium to escape the chaos.
Doumbouya, who seized power in a military coup in 2021 is weighing running for president in elections next year, staging other football tournaments across the country condemned by the opposition political parties as a ruse to build support for a possible run.
Guinean soccer has come under the spotlight recently over corruption and violence allegations with the president of Feguifoot, Guinea’s governing body of the game, under an ethics investigation.
Feguifoot’s Aboubacar Sampil has been accused of fomenting violence, attempting to pressure referees, disregarding rules and cronyism.
(upi)