The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced it is investigating the stampede that occurred at the Olembe Sports Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The BBC earlier announced that six people had been killed and dozens injured in a clash outside the stadium that was hosting a match between hosts Cameroon and Comoros which ended in a 2-1 scoreline in favour of Cameroon.
Six people are reported to have been killed and dozens hurt in a crush outside a stadium hosting an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroon.
— Charles Ayitey (@CharlesAyitey_) January 24, 2022
Video footage showed football fans struggling to get access to the Paul Biya stadium in a neighbourhood of the capital Yaounde. pic.twitter.com/a6WLbFZORj
While acknowledging the incident, CAF announced it is “currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired. We are in constant communication with Cameroon government and the Local Organizing Committee.”
The CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, sent the General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba to visit the supporters in hospital in Yaoundé, a CAF statement said.
According to reports, the clash occurred as fans struggled to squeeze through the stadium gates to watch the match.
Below is the statement:
CAF is aware of the incident that took place at Olembe Stadium during the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations fixture between hosts Cameroon and Comoros tonight, 24 January 2022.
CAF is currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired. We are in constant communication with Cameroon government and the Local Organizing Committee.
Tonight, the CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe sent the General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba to visit the supporters in hospital in Yaoundé.