ZURICH, Switzerland: FIFA said Monday that World Cup match referees have the authority to delay kickoffs for safety reasons, after 19 fans were killed in a stampede at a stadium in the Ivory Coast. Football s governing body has also asked each of the 52 national federations in Africa to send security specialists to a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, next month. FIFA President Sepp Blatter told members of the stadium and security committee that not one human life should be put in the balance by football. The committee backed a proposal giving power to referees and FIFA match delegates working at World Cup qualifying matches to delay the start of games. Referees should therefore not start a match unless security is established outside the stadia and spectators have taken their seats, FIFA said in a statement Monday. A total of 19 people died and more than 130 were injured in a crush before the World Cup match between Ivory Coast and Malawi on March 29. The Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan had a 35,000 capacity limit but many more came to see star striker Didier Drogba play at home for the first time this season. The match went ahead after the tragedy. FIFA has asked for reports from the Ivorian football federation and local government authorities to establish what happened. Eyewitnesses reported that panic spread after police fired tear gas. Fans have also died in stadium crushes in Zimbabwe, Ghana and Congo in recent years after tear gas was used. Ivory Coast is scheduled to play its next home World Cup qualifier Sept. 5 against Burkina Faso. FIFA s stadium committee, which met last week, confirmed that each of football s six continental confederations will hold a summit of security officers next year. It also acted against two African countries whose national stadium fell short of current regulations. Kenya must limit attendance to 60 percent of the 30,000 capacity at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi for its remaining home World Cup qualifiers. It hosts Mozambique on June 20 and Nigeria on Nov. 14. Malawi must play its next three home matches away from the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre if the federation misses a May 15 deadline to comply with safety standards. -AP
