Source: Daily_Mail
Drogba and Premier League stars play on after 22 die in Ivory Coast stampede
Didier Drogba and five other Premiership stars played a World Cup qualifier for the Ivory Coast against Malawi on Sunday despite the death of 19 spectators before the match when a wall collapsed following a crowd stampede.
The incident reportedly occurred when ticketless fans desperate to see the hugely popular Chelsea striker play in the opening final round qualifier stormed one of the entrances to the 35,000-capacity Houphouet-Boigny stadium in the main city, Abidjan.
The wall collapse caused panic, and over 130 were also injured as the authorities tried in vain to control the stampeding fans.
Interior Minister Desire Tagro told state television: 'Fans started pushing to get in because the match was about to start and each and every one of them wanted to get in.'
Other reports suggested crowd trouble began up to 40 minutes before the game, with police firing tear gas to control the pushing and shoving.
Ollo Kambire, a reporter for Super Sport newspaper in the Ivory Coast, said: 'We saw people falling. Then there was panic and a stampede.'
Sports Minister Dagobert Banzio added: 'Numerous spectators started falling over each other. And in the crush they trampled on each other and that has led to 19 dead and 132 injured.'
The match still went ahead, with Ivory Coast taking a first-minute lead and going to win 5-0, with two goals from Drogba, one a penalty, and another from Chelsea team-mate Salomon Kalou.
Four other Premier League stars started the game - Kolo Toure, Didier Zokora, Emmanuel Eboue and Abdoulaye Meite.
