Fan dies in National Sports Stadium stampede during Warriors, DRC clash

A football fan died in a stampede at the National Sports Stadium on Monday evening as Zimbabwe hosted the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed that the fatal incident occurred at Gate Number Two at around 6:30 pm, shortly after the start of the match.

According to police, the incident involved a police public order vehicle and a pedestrian, with one person dying during the stampede.

In a statement, the ZRP said investigations were underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms that swift and comprehensive investigations are currently underway after a fatal incident involving a police public order vehicle and a pedestrian at the National Sports Stadium, where one person died during a stampede at gate number two at 1830 hours at the beginning of the soccer match between Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo,” the ZRP said.

Police had not released the identity of the deceased by the time of publication.

The incident has raised fresh concerns over crowd management and safety at the National Sports Stadium, particularly during major football matches.

Police assured the public they would conduct an objective investigation to establish exactly what transpired.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police assures the public of objective and comprehensive investigations to find out exactly what transpired,” the statement said.

Monday night’s tragedy comes nearly seven years after another football fan died in a stampede at the same venue during a Warriors match against Congo Brazzaville in 2019.

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