FIFA’s football regulations prohibit the use of tear gas in stadiums, even as a means to suppress crowds and maintain security.
Typically, the use of tear gas is considered a “last resort” only to be employed when no other measures are available to address serious and violent incidents in open spaces. The deployment of tear gas in stadiums is extremely harmful and should never be utilized, due to its unpredictable consequences.
The deployment of tear gas in stadiums is extremely harmful.
FIFA’s safety regulations clearly state that “crowd control gas” is not to be carried or used inside stadiums by management or police. In the past, numerous deadly tragedies have occurred when authorities resorted to tear gas to control riots within stadiums.
On May 9, 2001, at Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana, 126 fans lost their lives in a similar incident. The two most successful football clubs in Ghana at that time, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, faced off against each other. After Accra scored a last-minute goal to win in dramatic fashion, Asante fans began throwing seats and water bottles onto the field. The police then responded by firing tear gas into the crowd, causing panic.
It was reported that the stadium gates were locked, leading to a stampede among the fans. A fan named Abdul Mohammed was incapacitated by the tear gas and was believed to be dead. He was even taken to the morgue and prepared for burial. Abdul later miraculously regained consciousness when someone stepped on his foot.
On May 24, 1964, at Estadio Nacional in Peru, during a match between Peru and Argentina in the 1964 Olympic qualifiers, over 300 fans also perished under similar circumstances. Peruvian fans rushed onto the field to protest the referee’s decision, and the police responded by firing tear gas into the crowd, resulting in chaos. The fatalities primarily occurred due to internal bleeding from being trampled or suffocation.
