In one of the sublime tragedies on sporting grounds on September 1, as per an official count, close to 174 people were killed and several others were injured in a stampede in Malang, Indonesia. This happened as the Arema FC went down 3-2 against their rivals, forcing their fans to storm the pitch in the East Java province. So, the time is not inappropriate to recount other disasters on football grounds.
English Disaster in 1989
Once in a semifinal encounter involving Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989, 96 of the Merseyside team’s fans met with a tragic end when one of the stands gave way. Back then, the top cop had opened Gate C of the central standing pens of one of the stands to avoid commotion, but due to overcrowding things went haywire and many lives were lost. This happens to be the ultimate tragedy in British sports.
The Guatemala Shocker Of 1996
A World Cup qualifier between Costa Rica and Guatemala in 1996 in Guatemala City ended up in a mishap as a minimum of 83 people died in a stampede in a chock-a-block stadium. This occurred because tickets were sold beyond the capacity of the stadium, the Mateo Flores National Stadium in the country’s capital, and fans, prohibited from entering the venue, forced their way to the entrance, leading to a deadly stampede at the entrance tunnel which had people in large numbers.
The Moscow Misfortune Of 1982
In a 1982 UEFA Cup game that pit Spartak Moscow against HFC Haarlem at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, a benevolent gesture led to a disaster in the stadium. It all began with a woman looking for a lost shoe in the stands being helped in her endeavour by a few spectators. Suddenly a commotion occurred with many stumbling over each other in the process. The toll reported at the time was 66. But there were strong allegations that Russia was trying to suppress the actual figures, as some reports suggested the exact count to be 340.
Hailstorm-induced Tragedy Of 1988 In Nepal
In 1988 when a game of soccer between the Janakpur Cigarette Factory and Bangalesh’s Liberation Army was interrupted by a hailstorm, a total of 93 lives were lost in the stadium. The storm triggered an overall panic in the stadium forcing the spectators towards the sole cover in the stadium. But, the police deployed on the ground objected to this, prompting fans towards an exit through a tunnel entrance, where the commotion led to a man-made horror.
