# At least 56 killed in Guinea football stampede after referee dispute
*Event date: 2024-12-01*
At least 56 people were killed in a stampede during a football match in Guinea’s southeastern city of N’Zérékoré after rival fans stormed the pitch following a controversial referee decision, according to Al Jazeera English.
The government said protests over refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, which then caused the fatal crush. Hospital services put the provisional death toll at 56. Health officials had earlier told AFP that the number of dead was in the dozens.
The source describes scenes of extreme chaos. A doctor said bodies were lined up in hospital corridors and that the morgue was full. The violence began after supporters of the visiting team from Labé objected to a call, prompting police to fire tear gas. The disturbance then spread, with angry demonstrators also vandalising and setting fire to the local police station.
The match was part of a tournament organised in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamady Doumbouya. That detail helps explain why the event carried political weight as well as sporting meaning. In recent years, such tournaments have been common while Doumbouya has kept hold of power and opposition parties have accused him of using them to advance his political prospects.
The source says the military leader had earlier pledged to return power to civilians by the end of 2024, but later made clear he would not do so. It also notes that he had promoted himself to lieutenant general in January and then to army general the following month.
What began as a refereeing dispute therefore escalated into a broader breakdown of order. The key sequence is simple: a controversial decision, stone-throwing, tear gas, a pitch invasion, and then a deadly stampede. Once panic spread, the stadium setting became a trap.
The death toll of 56 is the central fact. The wider political context explains why the match had been staged, but it does not reduce the immediate human cost.
The source also notes that Guinea’s opposition coalition condemned the tournament as an attempt to advance Doumbouya’s candidacy. That criticism added to the sense that a sporting event had become entangled in a deeper struggle over legitimacy and power.
For the families of the dead, though, the only thing that mattered on the day was the crush. The football match was supposed to be a local contest. It ended as one of the deadliest stadium disasters in recent memory.
