Two supporters died and a dozen others injured Saturday, June 17, 2023 in a stampede at a stadium in Cotonou, where Benin was facing Senegal in the playoffs of the African Cup of Football Nations, was it learned from judicial sources and from witnesses? An investigation has been opened to shed light on this incident and place «the responsibilities» after the death of two people, announced the prosecutor of the Republic, Jules Ahoga, in a statement published Monday. “Some fans who were in the stands” had “a lasting loss of consciousness,” and others would have gone “over the bleachers without waiting for help from the rescuers,” the prosecutor said. One person died instantly, the other after hospitalization, he said.
A crowd movement
Ten injured were also hospitalized in two health facilities, AFP learned from hospital sources. The Lions of the Téranga, already qualified, were hooked by the Cheetahs of Benin (1-1), who can still get their ticket for the next edition of the CAN, in early 2024 in Ivory Coast. The match was free for the Beninese selection to enjoy the strongest possible support.
«The rush is due to the impatience of some fans who wanted to force the passage to secure places», laments Louis Nouwatin, a 32-year-old supporter who was in the fule. We were being ruthlessly trampled. The police were overwhelmed,” he said. On 24 March 2019, during a match between Benin and Togo, a stampede left one person dead and 13 injured in a stadium in Cotonou.
