The Deadliest Football Riot in History

A referee's controversial call in 1964 sparked a stampede at a Lima stadium that killed over 300 people. Most victims died not from the chaos, but from suffocation against locked steel shutters while trying to escape.

During a high-stakes match between Peru and Argentina, fans were outraged when the referee disallowed a late Peruvian goal. As supporters stormed the pitch, police responded with heavy tear gas, triggering a panic in the packed stands. The stadium exits were locked steel shutters, which turned the crowd's desperate attempt to flee into a fatal trap. This horrific event remains the deadliest disaster in the history of international football.