Football violence, stampede kills 57 in Guinea Conakry

Controversial refereeing at a football game in Guinea Conakry sparked fan violence and a stampede that left 57 dead and dozens injured, local media said.

Children were deplored among the deaths at the Nzerekore stadium in southern Guinea’s largest city.

“Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes” at Sunday’s match, the government statement said on Monday, published as a news ticker on national television.

The stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon at Nzerekore city during the final of a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honor of Guinea’s military leader, Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on the X platform.

Local media reported that security forces tried to use teargas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty.