Football is one of the most famous sport in the world. Who doesn’t know what football is right? Even if you might not like it, you have surely heard some of the biggest stars in the sport.
Football has made some of the best and heart-warming stories in sports history, but it can also be the source of horrifying and heartbreaking disasters, such as the recent Indonesian football tragedy.
Lets take a look at 5 other football tragedies that has occurred through out history.
1. Estadio Nacional Disaster, Peru 1964
Picture: Peruvian Institute of Sport
Often regarded as the worst football tragedies in history, the Estadio Nacional disaster, occurred between a football match between Peru and Argentina. With a stadium capacity of 53,000, the seats were almost completely full.
The Uruguayan referee Ángel Eduardo Pazos ruled out a Peruvian equaliser with six minutes left in regulation time, with Argentina leading 1-0. The home crowd was so enraged by this decision that they stormed the field.
To prevent future spectators from storming the pitch, Peruvian police fired tear gas canisters into the northern grandstand.
Panic ensued, and some people even tried to leave in large groups to get away from the gas.
Spectators were crush to death as they tried to leave the stadium. 328 spectators died that day, the highest in football history.
2. Hillsborough Disaster, Sheffield 1989
Picture: Wikipedia
The Hillsborough disaster occurred during the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Tragedy struck at the Leppings Lane stand, which is a standing-only stand dedicated for Liverpool fans, when there was a large number of Liverpool supporters entering that area.
In an attempt to ease the overcrowding crowd, David Duckenfield, the police in charge of the game at that time, open one of the gates to let the spectators out.
However, this backfired and more spectators entered through the gate, causing a massive human crush. 96 people died due to the crush.
3. Accra Sports Stadium Disaster, Ghana 2001
Picture: Citifmonline
Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, the two most successful football clubs in Ghana, faced off that day. Angry Kotoko supporters threw plastic chairs and bottles onto the field after Accra scored two late goals and the referee ruled 2-1 for Accra.
In response, police fired tear gas onto the throng. Fans panicked and stampeded as they sought to leave the arena.
The stadium’s flawed design created a congestion, with fewer exits available than had been anticipated, and the gates were shut. In the end, a total of 126 people died due to compressive asphyxia and trauma.
4. Dasharath Stadium Disaster, Nepal 1988
Picture: Min Ratna Bajracharya/Wikipedia
On March 12, 1988, the Janakpur Cigarette Factory played Liberation Army of Bangladesh in a football match for the 1988 Tribhuvan Challenge Shield at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Inside the national Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, 93 persons died while they attempted to escape a hailstorm.
5. Guatemala Stadium Disaster, 1996
Minutes before kickoff of a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Guatemala and Costa Rica on October 16 1996, at least 83 people were killed and over 140 injured when an overwhelming number of fans attempted to enter the General Sur section of the stadium.
This caused a human avalanche into the bottom of the stands, which is separated only by a fence. The selling of counterfeit tickets was the reason why so many fans entered the stadium.
Sources: Wionews, Football Stadiums
