Two dead in stampede at football match

Stampede at a football match in South Africa.

Two people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured in a stampede at a football match in South Africa.

The stampede happened at the gates of Johannesburg's FNB Stadium during a pre-season game between rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Eyewitness News quoted Michael Sun, a public safety official, as saying paramedics went to the stadium, which has a capacity of more than 90,000, and that the situation is now under control.

Mr Sun said the stampede is believed to have been caused by people trying to sell or present fake tickets at a stadium gate.

 

Match sponsors Carling Black Label said one fan was critically injured and another 16 spectators suffered minor injuries.

The brewer said it was "saddened by the fatalities" from the crush caused by "a number of people who attempted to push through the stadium gates".

Tickets were sold out two weeks before the game, although local media reports suggested fake tickets had gone on sale.

"This incident is extremely unfortunate as solid security plans were put in place," Carling said in its statement.

Fans at FNB Stadium during the game between Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates

 

Live television coverage of the match showed no obvious disturbance at the stadium, which hosted the 2010 World Cup final.

Despite the stampede the match was not called off, with Kaizer Chiefs winning 1-0.

The two worst football tragedies in South Africa came at matches between the two teams.

In 2001, 43 people were killed in a crush at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg during a game involving the two sides, while in 1991 a total of 42 people died at Oppenheimer Stadium in the city of Orkney.