After tragedy at Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon carries out investigation to prevent further incident

A day after the human avalanche that caused eight deaths at the entrance to the stadium in Yaoundé, before a game of the local team in the African Cup of Nations, Cameroon and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are investigating what happened to prevent further drama. in the remainder of the competition.

At the moment, the quarter-final game, scheduled at the same venue, was transferred this Tuesday to Yaoundé’s second stadium, Ahmadou Ahidjo.

“It is necessary to create a commission to immediately investigate what happened and find out what should have been done and what was not done, and who did not, who did not fulfill their obligations. We want the report by Friday”, he said in press conference the president of CAF, Patrice Motsepe.

Monday should have been a public holiday in Cameroon. The local team faced Comoros, in the round of 16, but an avalanche at one of the entrance gates took dozens of fans to the ground, before others trampled them, according to testimonies collected by the AFP and who spoke of how security forces and health officials were “overtaken by events”.

André Omgbwa Eballe, director of the Olembé district hospital, had watched the game and was waiting at the south gate. When he learned of what had happened, he quickly went to his hospital to receive the dozens of wounded.

“It was an incredible flow, I had never seen so many people in front of that stadium,” the doctor told AFPTV.

“When the police opened the fences, some fell on top of others and others ran over them,” he said.

“I saw the courage of the Cameroonians, it was really inspiring, I saw people reanimating others, doing mouth to mouth. If it wasn’t for that, we would have more deaths”, said the doctor.

The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 spectators and was built for this CAN. However, it is limited to a maximum capacity of 60% due to the pandemic, which rises to 80% when Cameroon plays. To enter, fans must present a vaccination certificate and negative test for covid-19.

The security system is composed of three control filters: one for health passports, another for magazines and a third, with 2.50 meters high gates, for checking entrances.

“The agents asked us to queue up, but there were undisciplined people who asked to push,” young André Djoko told AFP in front of Olembé hospital.

The tragedy caused eight deaths, including a child and two women, and 38 injuries, seven of them seriously, according to the Minister of Communication, René Emmanuel Sadi.

Cameroonian President Paul Biya ordered an investigation into what happened to “shed light on this tragic incident”, the minister added. His government called on Cameroonians “once more” to act with “responsibility, discipline and civility for the total success of this great sports festival”.

CAF organized a crisis meeting with the local Organizing Committee (CoCan) this Tuesday.

“Together with CAF and the government, we will find the ideal measures to improve things and ensure that everything goes well, but perfection cannot be guaranteed. No country can,” he told AFP CoCan spokesman Abel Mbengue referring to “similar dramas in Europe, France, Spain, England…”.

The drama generated quite a stir in the football world. “It’s just terrible. I’m very shocked that you can die attending a party,” he told AFP former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell.

Patrice Beaumelle, coach from Côte d’Ivoire, expressed solidarity with the victims.

“My condolences to the families and my wish for a speedy recovery to all the injured. I don’t have much more to say, we remain focused on the competition, but as human beings this does not make us insensitive,” he told a news conference.

Cameroon hosts the African Cup of Nations, the premier competition in African football, from 9 January to 6 February in five different cities.