Fans stampede at World Cup tune-up game in South Africa
Reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa — Five days ahead of the most significant sporting event ever to take place on the African continent, soccer’s 2010 World Cup on Sunday ran slap bang into the reality that is Africa.
A tune-up game between Nigeria and North Korea in the northern Johannesburg neighborhood of Tembisa suddenly became a news event when hundreds of fans stampeded twice while trying to enter a small stadium.
Before order had been restored, a policeman had been seriously injured when he was crushed against a gate, and 14 fans had to be taken to hospital with assorted injuries, none of them believed serious.
Television footage in Johannesburg on Sunday night showed police with riot shields trying to hold back fans, a young boy bleeding from a cut on his head, and debris on the ground where people had lost their belongings in the melee.
The incident occurred only hours after Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, had proclaimed the country “more than ready” to stage the world’s biggest single-sport event, the 32-team World Cup that begins Friday
“The enthusiasm, joy and excitement that has engulfed the entire nation in recent weeks has not been witnessed since President Nelson Mandela was released from prison,” Zuma said in Pretoria.
He was accompanied at the presidential guesthouse by Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, the president of FIFA, soccer’s international governing body. Blatter’s comments were equally effusive.
“In bringing the World Cup here to Africa, to South Africa, is to trust South Africa, to trust Africans and to say to them, ‘You are strong, you can do it,’ ” Blatter said.
Soccer’s international governing body quickly tried to distance itself from the turmoil in Tembisa.
FIFA and the Organizing Committee of the 2010 FIFA World Cup “would like to first wish a prompt recovery to those who have been affected by these incidents,” said a statement released to the media.
“In addition FIFA and the OC would like to reiterate that this friendly match has no relation whatsoever with the operational organization of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, for which we remain fully confident. Contrary to some media reports, FIFA had nothing to do with ticketing for this game.”
That conflicted with a comment made by one unidentified policeman who was at the Makhulong Stadium, a concrete-terraced, 12,000-seat facility far removed from the state-of-the-art stadia being used for the World Cup.
“FIFA made the tickets free and now look,” the policeman said. “FIFA wanted them free.”
According to police spokesman Lt. Col. Eugene Opperman, who was on the scene, tickets to the game had been given out free outside the stadium, which has no entry turnstiles but is instead ringed by a fence with gates set into it.
“What then occurred was large groups of people gathered outside the gates wanting to come in and wanting to get free tickets,” Opperman told reporters at the stadium. “Unfortunately in the process the gates were opened and there was a stampede.”
In the chaos that ensued, fans were trampled underfoot, young children among them. It was at this point that the policeman was seriously injured. He was carried away on a stretcher. There were no later reports on his identity or his condition.
“He was crushed by the gates as people stormed them, trying to get in,” police said.
Police managed to close the gates, but when they were reopened, another stampede occurred.
“I think this is one of those isolated cases where we did not anticipate the large number of people who would be interested in this game,” said another police spokesman, Col. Hangwani Mulaudzi.
On Friday afternoon, when South Africa plays Mexico at the giant Soccer City Stadium, a crowd of more than 90,000 is expected.
Preparations were still underway at the stadium Sunday morning, with workers busy at various projects.
The match between Nigeria and North Korea was interrupted for about five to 10 minutes.
“Police have asked me to stop the match because of rioting and injuries,” a South African soccer official explained at the time.
The game eventually resumed and Nigeria won, 3-1.
Meanwhile, in Pretoria, Zuma was touting the World Cup and praising Blatter.
“For us, the World Cup has already begun,” he said. “Let the games begin on Friday. Our national team Bafana Bafana is ready and is in fighting form. We beat Guatemala last week and Denmark yesterday. That is a sign of things to come.”
On Monday, Zuma will award Blatter with the highest honor South Africa can bestow on a foreigner, the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, for “friendship shown to South Africa.”
In Tembisa, it probably will not be the main topic of conversation.
Times wire services contributed to this report.
