2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee offers condolences to victims of stadium accident
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (OC) South Africa would like to express its heartfelt sorrow at news of the stadium accident in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The accident took place during a FIFA World Cup/African Cup of Nations qualifier between Côte d'Ivoire and Malawi and left over 20 people dead and more than 130 injured.
“We would like to extend our most sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives under such tragic circumstances. We also offer our condolences to the injured and to the people of Côte d'Ivoire who today are trying to take stock of this tragedy, “said 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa Chief Executive Officer Danny Jordaan.
“The Organising Committee will be embarking on a major spectator educator campaign to ensure that fans coming to the FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup get to the games early. The gates will open three hours before the matches kick-off and this is when fans will be expected to arrive,” said Jordaan.
“As a nation we host major sporting events on an almost weekly basis and have some of the best security personnel in the world working on this project to ensure that the safety of all those who attend the matches is guaranteed,” he added.
“We call on all countries involved in FIFA World Cup qualifiers to adopt best safety practice to ensure that the road to 2010 is safe and incident free,” Jordaan concluded.
