International Didier Drogba has stepped forward and publicly spoken about the Stampede Tragedy that happened 40 minutes before kickoff of the Sunday World Cup Qualifier between Ivory Coast and Malawi at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Via DailyMail 

A stunned Drogba, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker, said: ‘I am disappointed by what has happened, it is hard to take. Football is nothing. You are talking about the deaths of 19 people. When things like that happen, it makes you realise how much people care about their country and their team. Peace to them. It is sad.’

The fans died and hundreds of others were injured in a stampede 40 minutes before the kick-off in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Malawi.

Thousands of fans trying to get inside the ground without tickets appear to have been the source of the problem, but precise details remain unclear. There have been reports that a wall collapsed and that police made the situation worse by firing tear gas into the crowds.

‘We can only deplore what happened,’ said Ivory Coast FA Jacques Anouma. ‘We are obliged to wait until the end of the inquiries, which the Minister for Security has himself ordered, so we know what happened.

‘We really can’t understand it, at a match where everyone was warned it was a sell-out. We have played important matches before and things have happened, but nothing like this.

‘We are really sorry. We give our condolences to the families of the victims and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. I ask Ivorians not to start useless arguments but to ensure this does not happen again. It is sad and I am deeply upset.’
Image via Pictures