A drama occurred on Saturday 15 July 2017 at the Demba Diop stadium in the league final between Uso de Ouakam and Stade de Mbour, with a heavy toll of 102 wounded and 8 dead All on the supporters side.
It all started with a stone’s throw from the Ouakam fans. Those of the Mbour team wanted to escape and unfortunately all headed in the same direction. They found themselves on the right wing of the tribune. This overweight suddenly caused the collapse of a wall and caused the death of 7 boys and a girl and many wounded.
As a reminder, this stadium was built in 1903 to house the Friendship Games, which earned it the name « Stade de l’Amitié ». Demba Diop, who was Sport Minister at the time, gave the keynote address at the inauguration. After his death, the stadium was naturally renamed in his name to pay tribute to him. 50 years later, some believe that this sporting place should be rehabilitated or rebuilt because of its age.
Since the tragedy, it’s hunting for guilty people on the government side. In civil society, while some point the finger at the insufficient number of the police forces present at this final, the others denounce the indiscipline of the population and their non respect of the rules of security. The police accuse the Ouakam supporters who have demonstrated violence and demonstrable indiscipline that amateur images have shown in social networks. Immediate reaction of Senegalese Football Federation, the latter suspended Uso Ouakam provisionally.
Following the tragedy, Khalifa Sylla’s collective « the 1000 young volunteers », led by Bassirou Sambe, expressed their sincere condolences to the grieving families and also wished the injured a speedy recovery. « The State must conduct a serious investigation and punish severely the offenders to the extent of their crimes, » said the collective. In a spirit of compassion and solidarity, the latter decided to organize a blood donation and called on all its members and all Senegalese to join them on Thursday, July 17, 2017 at the CNTS from 9:00.
