President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has vowed to tackle the growing issue of match violence and hooliganism at stadiums across the continent.
Incidents of violence at African football matches have escalated in recent months, tragically culminating in several deaths, including a deadly incident in Guinea last December.
Additionally, more than 50 lives were reportedly lost during violent clashes between Esperança and Mamelodi Sundowns fans at a CAF Champions League fixture in South Africa.
Addressing the media in Accra on Friday, Dr. Motsepe reaffirmed CAF’s unwavering commitment to making stadiums safe spaces for fans.
“CAF is steadfastly committed to ensuring that stadiums are safe spaces where our football spectators, fans, and supporters can feel comfortable and secure, including from a health perspective,” he stated.
Dr. Motsepe emphasized that the Confederation considers any injury — and particularly any loss of life — at a football venue as wholly unacceptable.
“To have a single fan injured at a stadium is something that we do not want to experience under any circumstances,” he said.
“And worse still, to have a single fan lose their life is something that we can never take enough precautionary measures against.”
He further revealed that CAF is currently conducting an extensive review of international best practices to enhance stadium safety across Africa.
“The starting point is to look at what other countries are doing,” Motsepe explained.
“We are assessing where and in which stadiums the safest environments have been created for spectators.”
He added that the CAF Secretariat is spearheading efforts to consult with safety experts in Europe and elsewhere to adopt proven strategies for crowd management and matchday security.
“There is an ongoing process. The determination and commitment are very deep and steadfast,” he assured.