In front of the N'Zérékoré morgue, Monday December 2, dozens of families wait to be able to identify the bodies of their loved ones. They are also demanding answers on how the football match which took place the day before at the stadium in the city, the second largest in Guinea, could have turned into a death trap for dozens, even hundreds, of supporters. The provisional toll showed, Monday afternoon, 56 dead and several injured.
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“The morgue is full »explained a local doctor to Agence France-Presse, on condition of anonymity, estimating “that there [avait] a hundred dead ». Several photos and videos circulating on social networks show inert bodies on the ground, inside the morgue.
Sunday afternoon, the teams from N'Zérékoré and Labé faced each other in a symbolic match; the final of the “General Mamadi Doumbouya” trophy, a competition dedicated to the head of the junta, who came to power through a coup d’état, in September 2021. “There were crazy people in the stadium »assures Moussa Kounady Camara, local correspondent of the media Guineanews. « It was a big match. People mobilized. Many did not have access to the stadium. It was packed”assures a young person who attended the meeting, but does not wish to give his name. Not only were the stands of this stadium, which had been under construction for fifteen years, full, but the crowd also gathered at the edge of the pitch.
“The weakest have been trampled”
Two refereeing incidents derailed the match, which was attended by a government delegation represented by the Minister of Youth and Sports as well as the Minister of Agriculture. First of all a red card in the middle of the second period, finally canceled following the intervention of one of the ministers with the referee. Then a contentious penalty, whistled in the last ten minutes. This decision provoked the fury of Labé's supporters. Stones were thrown and the land was invaded.
The police then fired tear gas, according to several sources present in the stadium, which caused a large crowd movement. Videos show hundreds of spectators – the majority of them minors – climbing the stadium grounds to escape the crowds. “It was a rout. People headed towards the only gate of the stadium, jostled each other (…) The weakest were trampled »assures a young supporter, who lost a close friend in the huge stampede.
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