Unfortunately, sports history isn’t solely composed of highlights and memorable athletes. Tragedies have sadly struck the sporting world.
Throughout the years, several events have shocked the entire world, and athletes, fans, coaches, and many others related to sports have lost their lives in these tragedies.
Some of the disasters listed were unexpected and unpredictable. However, the sports industry has learned valuable lessons from these diverse tragedies, particularly those that have occurred inside sporting venues.
1902 Ibrox disaster
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During the 1901-02 British Home Championship, the national football teams of England and Scotland played a match on April 5th, 1902, at Ibrox Park. In the first half of the game, a section of the newly constructed West Tribune Stand collapsed, causing between 200 to 300 fans to fall to the concrete floor below.
Sadly, 25 people lost their lives, and over 500 were injured. This tragedy led to a significant shift in stadium architecture, with wooden stands being replaced by concrete ones.
Gabon Air tragedy
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On April 27th, 1993, a plane carrying most of the Zambian national football team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The team was en route to Dakar, Senegal, for a 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match against Senegal, shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon.
The accident was caused by the pilot shutting down the wrong engine following an engine fire, which resulted in the crash. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed.
1987 Alianza Lima plane crash
Diario El Nacional
A Peruvian football club, Alianza Lima, chartered a Peruvian Navy Fokker F27-400M for a local league game. After winning the game in the city of Pucallpa, the team boarded the plane to return to Lima.
Unfortunately, the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing 43 people. The only survivor was the pilot.
Estadio Nacional disaster
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On May 24th, 1964, Peru hosted Argentina at the Estadio Nacional in Lima. The Peruvian national team needed a win to get closer to qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics football tournament.
In the second half, the referee disallowed a Peruvian goal, and the fans got outraged. They invaded the pitch, and the police retaliated with tear gas and violence. This resulted in the worst disaster in the history of association football, with 328 people losing their lives.
Ayrton Senna’s death
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On May 1st, 1994, Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna was leading the San Marino Grand Prix. However, Senna lost control of his car and crashed into the Tamburello curve of the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in Italy.
Driving at almost 200 miles per hour, the Brazilian racing legend struck a concrete wall almost head-on. Senna suffered multiple skull fractures and passed away at a hospital in Bologna, Italy.
Burnden Park disaster
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On March 9th, 1946, a tragic incident occurred during an FA Cup Sixth Round second-leg match between Bolton and Stoke City. The game was held at Burnden Park, which was Bolton’s home stadium at the time and had rudimentary facilities.
The stampede occurred at the Railway End of the ground, where more people than the allowed capacity had gathered, causing a deadly crush that killed 33 people and injured over 400 fans. This disaster prompted Great Britain to take significant measures to prevent overcrowding at sporting events in the future.
Puerta 12
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On June 23, 1968, the largest football-related disaster in Argentina‘shistory occurred. After the Superclásico match between River Plate and Boca Juniors, the away fans began to leave River’s ground, the Estadio Monumental.
However, the 12th gate was not fully open, and a massive stampede occurred, resulting in 71 deaths and over 150 injuries. The culprits were never found and brought to justice.
Leicester helicopter crash
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A helicopter, an AgustaWestland AW169, crashed shortly after takeoff from King Power Stadium , the home ground of Leicester City F.C . All five people aboard the helicopter died on October 27th, 2018.
LCFC’s owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha , was among the people involved in the crash. A beloved governor, the fans mourned his death by laying flowers and football shirts outside the ground the next morning.
Zamalek Disaster
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A friendly soccer match between Zamalek of Egypt and Dukla Prague of Czechoslovakia was scheduled to take place in a larger stadium, but the organizers changed it to Zamalek Stadium , which had a capacity of 40,000 fans.
On February 17th, 1974, around 80,000 people attempted to enter the stadium, causing a stampede before the kickoff. The walls collapsed, and 48 people lost their lives, with over 50 others sustaining injuries.
1971 Ibrox disaster
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On January 2, 1971, a tragedy took place on the exit stairway at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland. After a game between Rangers and Celtic, thousands of spectators were leaving the ground through stairway 13 when a stampede occurred.
Sixty-six people were killed, and more than 200 fans were injured. It is considered one of the worst football tragedies in British history.
Hillsborough
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The worst tragedy in British football history occurred on April 15, 1989. An FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was scheduled to take place that day.
Shortly before kickoff, the police ordered a gate to be opened to ease overcrowding, but more people ended up entering the pens. The resulting crush caused 97 deaths and 766 injuries, the highest death toll in British sporting history.
Ellis Park Stampede
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The Ellis Park disaster on April 11, 2001, is the worst sporting tragedy in South African history. The Orlando Pirates–Kaizer Chiefs derby was taking place in the stadium located in Johannesburg, and 60,000 fans were expected.
However, nearly twice as many people attempted to enter the stadium, causing a human crush that led to 43 deaths in the middle of the game.
Munich Massacre
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A terrorist attack shook the Munich Olympics in 1972. Eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village and killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team.
They also took nine other members hostage. Counting the rescue attempts, the death toll amounted to 17 people, including 5 members of the terror group.
Sabena Air disaster
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The entire United States figure skating team was en route to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague , Czechoslovakia when tragedy struck.
On February 15th, 1961, the flight crashed near Brussels, Belgium, claiming the lives of all 72 people on board and one on the ground. It was also the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 707 in regular passenger service.
Port Said Riot
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After a 3-1 victory by Al-Masry against Al-Ahly in an Egyptian Premier League match, chaos erupted. On February 1st, 2012, Masry fans stormed the pitch to celebrate and attacked rival fans with various sharp weapons.
Ahly fans were trapped in a section of the stadium, and the police refused to open the exit gates, resulting in some stampedes. For the next 13 days, riots broke out in Cairo, with people clashing against the police. The incident resulted in 74 deaths, 73 arrests (11 of whom were sentenced to death), and over 500 injuries.
Ninho do Urubu fire
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In the early hours of February 8th, 2019, a fatal fire broke out at the training center of Brazilian football team Flamengo. The center, known as “Ninho do Urubu” (Vulture’s Nest in English), became the site of the tragedy.
The fire was caused by a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit in one of the player’s rooms. Ten young players from Flamengo’s academy, aged between 14 and 17, lost their lives in the incident.
Kobe Bryant’s death
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The basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna boarded a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter with seven other people on January 26, 2020.
The helicopter encountered low cloud cover, causing the pilot to lose orientation and ultimately control of the aircraft, resulting in a crash in the city of Calabasas, California. There were no survivors.
Kanjuruhan Disaster
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After a local Indonesian game on October 1st, 2022, more than 3,000 fans invaded the pitch and started attacking the players and team officials.
This resulted in a clash between them and the police, who deployed tear gas. The stampedes and asphyxiations caused the deaths of 135 people, with over 500 fans injured. It is considered the second-worst tragedy in football history, behind the Estadio Nacional disaster.
Luzhniki disaster
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During a UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem on October 20th, 1982, a fatal human crush occurred, causing Russia’s worst sporting disaster. The incident took place in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow.
A fan fell in one of the stands, and more fans stopped to help her. However, the crowd crushed them, and people started to repeatedly stumble, resulting in 66 deaths.
Emiliano Sala’s death
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Argentine striker Emiliano Sala boarded a plane on January 21, 2019, after being transferred to Cardiff City from French side Nantes. However, the Piper Malibu light aircraft crashed into the English Channel.
Both Sala and the pilot passed away. The causes of the crash were loss of control, mid-air breakup, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Munich Air Disaster
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On February 6th, 1958, British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from Munich-Riem Airport. The fatal accident was described as a runway overrun due to slush on the runway.
The plane was carrying the Manchester United football team, supporters, and journalists. 23 of the 38 people on board were killed.
The Bradford Fire
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On May 11, 1985, Bradford City and Lincoln City were playing their final game of the season at Valley Parade stadium. During the game, a fan accidentally dropped a lit cigarette through a hole in the floorboards.
The cigarette started a fire that was intensified by the strong wind. As a result, 56 people were killed and more than 260 others were injured.
Heysel disaster
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Juventus and Liverpool were preparing to play the 1985 European Cup final on May 29th at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. Liverpool fans started to attack the “neutral” section of the stadium, trying to reach the Juventus fans.
Chaos ensued, causing walls to collapse and resulting in the death of 39 people. As a consequence of the tragedy, English clubs were banned from European competitions for five years (Liverpool for six years).
Superga Air disaster
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The entire Torino team boarded an Italian Airlines plane to return home from Lisbon, where they played a friendly match against Benfica. Due to poor visibility, the plane had to make an emergency landing but ended up crashing into the retaining wall at the back of the Basilica of Superga.
On May 4, 1949, 31 people, including Torino players, coaches, and journalists, and 4 crew members were killed. After the tragic crash, Torino was declared the winner of the 1948-49 Serie A season as a tribute to the team.
Chapecoense tragedy
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Brazilian team Chapecoense was on their way to play the away leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana Final against Atlético Nacional in Medellín when they boarded LaMia Flight 2933 on November 28, 2016.
Due to fuel exhaustion, the plane crashed near Medellín, killing 71 of the 77 people on board. Chapecoense was declared the winner of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana in tribute to the team’s players and staff who lost their lives in the tragedy.
