Death of a young woman during an African Cup match of Raja Casablanca

A young Moroccan woman died on Saturday evening “as a result of an illness” before an African club cup match in Casablanca, we learned from an official source, while many supporters, some without tickets, crowded around the stadiumaccording to witnesses and media.

“A 29-year-old supporter of the Raja Casablanca team died while she was around the Mohammed V sports complex, to attend the match between Raja and the Egyptian team Al Ahly in the second leg. quarter-finals of the Champions League of the African Cup of football”, announced the prefecture of Casablanca.

An investigation was opened by the authorities under the supervision of the local prosecutor’s office. Several groups of Raja supporters, in excess, could not access the stadium “even though they had tickets”, reported the specialized site “elbotola.com”, which denounced a “scandalous organization”.

“Many of those in the stands did not have tickets for the match, while fans with tickets were prevented from entering on the pretext that the stadium was full,” the site said. Another sports site, almountakhab, as well as witnesses, spoke of “clashes between supporters and the police when the stadium doors opened”.

General brawl in the stands

According to an AFP photographer, a general fight, marked in particular by throwing bottles, broke out in a stand at the end of the meeting – which ended in a 0-0 draw – between rival gangs of ultras of Raja, eliminated from the competition.

Clashes then took place in the surrounding streets, according to witnesses. Violence is recurrent between groups of Moroccan supporters. The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has repeatedly reported in recent months arrests for violence in stadiums in Morocco.

After the death of two supporters at the beginning of 2016, the authorities had dissolved groups of ultras to fight against hooliganism, even prohibiting any distinctive sign (slogans and banners) in the stadiums, before authorizing the presence of ultras again in March 2018.

Morocco has declared itself a candidate to host the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in 2025, and also formalized last month its candidacy for the organization of the World Cup-2030, with Spain and Portugal, a tournament which will mark the centenary of the most popular sporting competition.

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