Avoiding stampedes―a soccer story
THE WEEK India|March 02, 2025
Imagine a night match between two national teams, as sworn rivals in soccer as India and Pakistan are in cricket, watched by around one lakh fans. The host country's president is sitting in the VIP box with a minister who has come with the neighbouring country's team.
R. PRASANNAN
Avoiding stampedes―a soccer story

Just as the match is about to warm up, the crowd hears two blasts from the stadium gates; half an hour later, a third. Police copters hover in the night sky, sirens rent the night air, and bursts of automatics ricochet on the stadium walls. Even a dimwit would know, men with murder in mind are trying to enter the stadium, and the police are fighting them.

What do you think would happen next? That guards would swoop down to cover the VIPs? Stadium custodians would scream do's and dont's into mikes? Players would stop the match and run for cover? Guards would open the stadium doors for people to escape? Panic-stricken multitudes would surge towards the narrow exits and cause stampedes?

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