False tickets, stands saturated with fans and a tragedy that could have been avoided: the match that ended with more than 80 deaths

False tickets, stands saturated with fans and a tragedy that could have been avoided: the match that ended with more than 80 deaths

October 11, 2024 – 16:00

Guatemalan soccer still remembers the tragedy of 1996, when a match ended in chaos and pain, leaving 84 dead and more than 200 injured.

On October 16, 1996, Guatemalan soccer lived one of the greatest tragedies in its history. During a qualifying match between Guatemala and Costa Ricathe stadium Mateo Flores It was the scene of a disaster that left 84 dead and more than 200 injured. Today, 28 years later, the echoes of that night still resonate in the collective memory.

Counterfeit tickets, overselling and lack of police control were some of the causes that triggered the tragedy. Although the stadium’s official capacity was just over 47,000 people, the pressure of thousands of fans in the stands exceeded any expectations. A celebration that should have been a football party ended in one of the biggest sports catastrophes in Central America.

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The tragedy at the Mateo Flores stadium leaves enormous pain for football fans to this day.

The tragedy at the Mateo Flores stadium leaves enormous pain for football fans to this day.

The tragedy of Guatemala: the sporting event that ended in the worst way

The match in question, which pitted the Guatemalan and Costa Rican teams, was part of the Central American Qualifiers heading to France World Cup 1998. The Mateo Flores National Stadium dressed up to celebrate a match that, in the preview, seemed easy for the locals to win, so before the match started the stands already looked full. However, a crowd was still waiting to get in, tickets in hand, even when the stands were already packed.

At 7:30 p.m., half an hour before the start of the match, the situation became chaotic. At gate 14 of the south stand, the cheapest and busiest, the People’s pressure became a human avalanche. Dozens of people were crushed against the fences. Héctor René Monroe, a photographer and volunteer firefighter present at the scene, recalled: “I saw a boy about 10 years old having seizures… I tried to save him, but It was too late.”

Most of the fatalities died from asphyxiation and fractures caused by the stampede. Despite cries for help, security agents were unable to control the situation. Only the quick intervention of a lieutenant of the Civil Guard, who forced the opening of door 14, prevented the tragedy from becoming even greater.

The bodies began to line up on the stadium’s athletic track, covered by the firefighters’ jackets. Meanwhile, in other parts of the stadium, fans who were not aware of the seriousness of the events continued with their chants. But as the number of bodies increased, silence replaced the bustle of the crowd.

The president of the Guatemala National Football FederationEdgar Rolando Pineda Lam, insisted that the tragedy was an “accident”, minimizing organizational failures. “There was no error in the sale of tickets,” he stated, despite complaints from counterfeit tickets and overselling. For him, the tragedy was just an unfortunate coincidence, but the 84 dead and 229 injured that night told a much darker and more tragic story.

Source: Ambito

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