Hundreds killed after violence erupts in a football match in Guinea

Hundreds of soccer fans, including children, have been killed in a stampede as security forces tried to calm clashes during a soccer match at a crowded stadium in southern Guinea’s largest city, according to local media.

According to Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s Prime Minister, via a tweet on X, the stampede broke out on Sunday, December 1, 2024, in Nzérékoré during the final of a local tournament between the Labé and Nzérékoré teams in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya.

“During the stampede, victims were recorded. The regional authorities are working to restore calm in the area,” he tweeted.

Guinea’s local media also disclosed that security forces tried to use tear gas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty.

“This (the disputed penalty) angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” it reported. It also stated that several of those killed were children, while some of the injured, being treated at a regional hospital, are in critical condition.

Videos from the scene showed a section of the stadium shouting and protesting against the refereeing before the clashes broke out, as fans poured onto the field. People were seen running as they tried to escape from the stadium, with many jumping over the high fence.

In the meantime, the National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy coalition has called for an investigation, as they believe the games were organized to create support for the political ambitions of the military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, who ousted the president in 2021.

Le gouvernement déplore les incidents qui ont émaillé le match de football entre les équipes de Labe et Nzerekore cet après-midi à Nzerekore . Lors de la bousculade des victimes sont enregistrées. Les autorités régionales sont à pied d’œuvre pour rétablir le calme et la sérénité…

— Bah Oury (@bahourykigna) December 1, 2024