Motsepe Calls For Answers Following Stampede
27 January, 2022
After Monday night's stampede, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe wants a thorough report from the Cameroonian government and the local organising committee regarding what caused the incident.
As reported by the Sowetan, the quarter-final tie that was supposed to be played on Sunday at the Olembe Stadium, where eight people died and 38 others were injured on Monday night, will now be played at Yaounde's Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium instead.
The newly-built Olembe arena is still scheduled to host a semi-final on 3 February and the final on 6 February. Motsepe, however, says that unless the Cameroonian government can guarantee improved security for those matches, those fixtures will be moved too.
"We want urgent steps to make sure it doesn't happen again and a report by Friday to explain what went wrong," he said in a news conference.
Read More : Six Die In Stampede Outside Stadium In Cameroon
"Clearly there were deficiencies, failures at weaknesses. There were problems that should have been foreseen. The safety and security of spectators has to be our primary duty and obligation."During his visit to the site, Motsepe noted that a gate had been closed for "inexplicable reasons", suggesting that the tragic event could have been avoided.
Only after Cameroon had defeated 10-man Comoros 2-1 in their round of 16 match on Monday night did news of the stampede become public.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za