Worldwide Disasters

The deaths of spectators in pusuit of watching football is as old as the game itself. Time and time again the finger of responsibility points at the police, the grounds and mismanagement of stadiums and general disregard for the safety of fans. After each disaster we are told "It will never happen again" but history shows us that this is never the reality. The following records of football related disasters provide a chilling reminder of the price ordinary supporters have paid to watch a game of football.

The following list of football related disasters is by no means complete and does not include recent 'near misses' like the lights failure at Old Trafford, the crush at Exeter... if you know of any significant disasters that we should add to this list please email us.

Date	Venue	Deaths	Injuries	Circumstances
1902	Ibrox, Glasgow	26	500	Stand collapsed.
1914	Hillsborough, Sheffield	-	75	Wall collapsed.
1946	Bolton	33	400	Wall collapsed.
1961	Santiago, Chile	5	35	?
1961	Ibrox	3	35	Stand collapsed.
1964	Lima, Peru	318	500	Police fired - panic.
1968	Argentina	74	150	Seventy four people are killed and more than 150 are injured when spectators mistakenly headed towards a closed exit after a first division match in Buenos Aires. The fans at the front of the melee are crushed to death against the doors by other fans unaware of the closed passageway at the back.
1968	Tripoli	30	120	Police fired - panic.
1971	Ibrox	69	140	The Old Firm derby attracted enormous crowds and this game at Ibrox Stadium was no different. The match was heading for a goalless draw until Celtic scored with a minute to go, prompting a mass exodus of disappointed Rangers fans. Although Colin Stein scored for Rangers in the last minute for 1-1 draw, many Rangers supporters were still on their way out. But with so many fans leaving at the same time, the downward force pushed many people trying to get out to the stadium onto the ground. The momentum of the crowd meant that once people started to fall, there was no way of holding the mass of bodies back and 66 people lost their lives, with another 140 suffering injuries. .
1972	Wolverhampton	-	80	Barrier collapsed.
1974	Turkey	44	600	Platform collapsed.
1975	Moscow	20	?	Crowd crush.
1976	Haiti	6	?	Police fired - panic.
1978	Orient, London	-	30	Barrier collapsed.
1979	Cairo	48	-	Wall collapsed.
1979	Indonesia	12	?	Panic and crush.
1979	Lagos, Nigeria	24	27	Lights switched off-panic
1981	Middlesborough	2	-	Pillar collapsed.
1981	Columbia	17	15	Stand collapsed.
1981	Greece	21	54	Locked gate - crush.
1982	Columbia	24	50	Panic and crush.
1982	Algiers	8	600	Stand collapsed.
1982	Moscow	340	?	Three hundred and forty people were reportedly killed during a European Cup match in Moscow. Police were blamed for the incident because they were said to have forced fans down a narrow, icy staircase before the end of the match. But when a late goal was scored, exiting fans tred to re-enter the stadium, crushing the people caught in the middle. Russians officials attempted to claim the official casualty loss was only 61 and the police were not responsible for the disaster.
1985	Brazil	3	25	Police fired - panic.
1985	Birmingham	1	20	Wall collapsed.
1982	Mexico	10	74	Crowd crush.
1985	Heysel, Belgium	39	240	Trouble began when fights broke out between rival English and Italian supporters at the European Cup final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. Police repeatedly clashed with fans, but when a wall separating the two sets of fans collapsed, a riot ensued, taking the lives of 39 spectators.
1985	Holland	50	?	?
1985	Bradford	56	200	A stray lit cigarette stub ignited a wooden terrace section at Valley Parade. Fire soon engulfed the stand, causing 56 people to lose their lives in one of the worst tragedies in English football.
1988	Katmandu	71	200	At least 93 people were killed and 100 more were injured when fans attempted to flee from a hailstorm inside the stadium. But they could not escape because the stadium doors are locked, causing a fatal crush at the front.
1989	Hillsborough	96	400	Crowd crush.
1992	France	15	?	In May 1992, 15 fans died at a French cup semi-final when a stand collapsed.
1996	Guatemala City	84	150	Stampede
2000	Harare, Zimbabwe	13	100's	Police fired teargas- panic.
2001	Ellis Park, South Africa	43	100's	Police fired teargas- panic.
2001	Lubumbashi, Congo	7	100's	Police fired teargas- panic.
2001	Ghana	126	100's	Panic set in when police fired tear gas.
2001	Sari, Iran	2	100's	Overcrowded stadium collapse.