The Most Terrible Riots In The History Of Football

Besides the glorious victories, the history of football also has many dark sides. Prominent among them were the riots. 172 is the number of people killed after police used tear gas to make fans trample each other in Indonesia. But this is still not the most deadly event. Today, let's take a look at the biggest fan-related disasters in football history with ANZ Football! 

1. Lima stadium disaster, Peru - 320 people died

 320 people died and 1000 were injured during the riots at the Peruvian National Stadium on May 24, 1994. Tragedy took place between Peru and Argentina in Olympic qualifying. When the referee denied Peru's equalizer at the last minute, a fan took to the field to attack the referee. Another fan also rushed to the field and was beaten by police. This made the audience on the field angry, prone to a riot. 

2. Ibrox disaster 1971 - 66 people died 

On January 2, 1971 in Glasgow, Scotland, a fence on the Ibrox Stadium collapsed as the Celtic vs Rangers match drew to a close. Tragedy struck when fans leaving the field were jostled by a crowd trying to get back onto the pitch after learning that Rangers had equalized. 66 people were killed and more than 100 injured in this incident. 

3. The tragedy of Cairo, Egypt - 49 people were killed 

February 17, 1974 is the day of mourning for Egyptian football. 80,000 people squeezed into the stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people. The crowd deliberately pushed in and overturned the fence, causing 49 people to be trampled to death, and 47 people were injured. 

4. Heysel disaster 1985 - 39 people died

The whole of Europe was shocked to hear the news that the Champions League final between Liverpool and Juventus on May 29, 1985 in Brussels, Belgium in 1985 had turned into a riot. The wall separating the fans of the two teams collapsed, killing 39 people and injuring more than 600 others. This is the supper period of English football. FIFA then banned foreign English clubs and fans from playing.

5. Valley Parade stadium fire disaster - 56 people died 

On May 11, 1985 in Bradford, England, 56 people were killed and more than 200 injured when the roof of the Valley Parade stadium burst into flames during a friendly match between Bradford and Lincoln City. The official investigation suggested that rubbish accumulated under the stands caused the fire. Most likely the fire was started by a cigarette. 

6. Hillsborough disaster - 96 people died 

On 15 April 1989, thousands of fans poured into Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England to watch the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Many people were trapped and trampled on each other in the stands, resulting in 96 deaths. 
The fact that the police allowed more than 5,000 fans to enter the field despite the full stands is believed to be the cause of this terrible incident. 

7. Guatemala tragedy - 83 people died 

This was the tragedy that followed before the World Cup qualifying match between Malaysia and Costa Rica on October 16, 1996. The violence left at least 78 people dead and more than 180 injured.

8. South African football disaster - 47 people died 

On April 11, 2001 in Johannesburg, South Africa, crowds outside Ellis Park pulled into a packed stadium to watch a game between the Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Many people were trapped in the barbed wire fence, resulting in 47 deaths. Earlier, police sprayed pepper spray on the crowd who were trampling outside the stadium. 

9. Accra stadium disaster - 126 people died 

On May 10, 2001 in Ghana, about 126 people were killed in a stampede from a stadium in the capital Accra. The reason was that the police fired tear gas at the fans, and the crowd jostled each other to escape the bloodshed. All have created a scene of the worst disaster in African football.

10. Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy - 172 people died

It is known that in the match between the two clubs Arema vs Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan Stadium on October 1, 2022 in East Java, Indonesia, the away team Persebaya Surabaya won 3-2. Unable to accept defeat, the home team's fans rioted and rushed down the field to jump over the security line and attack the police force. 

The police force also appeared overwhelmed by the chaos and had to shoot high into the crowd. The riot claimed the lives of 172 people, including two members of the national police. 

There are many reasons that lead to riots in the yard. In particular, two main reasons can be mentioned are the fanaticism of the fans and the lack of professionalism of the security forces. Hopefully after these heartbreaking events, the organizers as well as individuals and fans will draw lessons from their experiences so that in the future there will be no more incidents of riots and stampedes.