A soccer match in South Africa turned deadly over the weekend after a stampede ensued while fans were entering the 87,000-seat FNB stadium in Johannesburg.
The match between the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs was eventually played but not before two people died and 17 people were injured, one critically, when people pushed their way through stadium gates.
Public safety official Michael Sun tweeted sympathies over the fatalities and noted that all the gates to the stadium were open to ensure crowd safety.
ABC News reported that the disruption that caused the crush was the result of people selling fake tickets outside the stadium.
@blacklabelsa CUP STATEMENT: We are saddened by the fatalities this afternoon due to a number of people attempting to push through the gates
— Orlando Pirates FC (@Orlando_Pirates) July 29, 2017
The match was eventually played, and the Chiefs won 1-0.
Read More: Eight Die in Senegal Soccer Riot
The BBC reports that the Pirates and Chiefs are no strangers to these kinds of accidents. In April of 2001, the two teams saw 43 fans die in a crush during a match at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg. Ten years prior, 42 people died in a stampede between the same two teams at Oppenheimer Stadium in the city of Orkney.
Formerly called Soccer City Stadium, FNB Stadium has a long history. Nelson Mandela gave his famous speech there after being released from prison in 1990. The venue was later rebuilt for the 2010 World Cup and was the site of the final that year between Spain and the Netherlands.
