Nigeria 3-1 North Korea
Trouble mars Nigeria-North Korea game
June 6, 2010



Source: Soccernet

A police officer has been seriously injured in a stampede which forced Sunday's friendly between Nigeria and North Korea in Tembisa to be suspended.

Nigeria fans had invalid tickets for the game
GettyImagesNigeria fans had invalid tickets for the game

At least 20 fans were injured when Nigeria supporters tried to force their way into the Makhulong Stadium. They had photocopies of legitimate tickets and, after been refused entry, rushed the gates once they had been closed.

The match at the 10,000-capacity venue was not sold out.

The policeman was hurt when a fence was pushed down on top of him. "He was crushed by the gates as people stormed them, trying to get in," Reuters was told by police spokesman, Mveli Nhlapo. Reuters also reported that a child was injured in the crush.

Fourteen people were taken to hospital, mostly with minor injuries.

The match was stopped four minutes into the second half as officials tried to restore order after the main stand became overcrowded with people who had managed to get into the ground. It restarted after five minutes.

Colonel Eugene Opperman of the South African Police Services (SAPS) said: "There was definitely a stampede, but it happened on the outside of the stadium and not the inside. We have 14 civilians that are injured and one policeman. There were no deaths.''