From the archives: Dark days in the history of sports

Estadio Nacional Disaster, 1964

More famously known as the Lima football riot, this 1964 riot at Peru’s national stadium is the worst riot ever to occur in the history of association football, which claimed the lives of 320 spectators and injured 500 others. What sparked the riot was a disallowed goal by Peru when only two minutes were left for the match to end, with Peru well on their way to a defeat at the hands of Argentina by a margin of just one goal.

One goal and Peru would have levelled the scores. An irate and drunk spectator rushed onto the field jumping over the barricade that separated the stands from the field and the police shot tear gas canisters towards the northern grandstand to prevent others to follow suit. But the result was just the opposite as the spectators panicked and ran towards the exits, leading to a stampede.

Once out in the open, the crowd caused mass destruction of property all around the stadium due to what has become popular in psychology as the spill over effect.