In pics: The five worst football-related mishaps in history

On April 15, 1989, 97 Liverpool fans were killed at the Hillsborough Stadium after being crushed to death in the stadium's stands, interrupting an FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

As many Liverpool supporters poured into the stadium's Leppings Lane stand, which was designated for them, the catastrophe occurred. It was soon clear that nobody would make it to the bleachers in time for the game.

Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, the police commander in charge of the game at the time, ordered exit gate C to be opened in an effort to reduce the crowding. But as a result, even more spectators entered the already congested central pens.

At the South American Olympic qualifying tournament on May 24, 1964, Peru was hosting Argentina. Both teams were vying for a spot to compete in the Tokyo Olympics that year. With 53,000 seats, the stadium was nearly completely full.

When the Uruguayan referee disallowed Peru's equaliser while Argentina was up 1-0, two enraged supporters invaded the field. When the second supporter was brutally assaulted by police officers on the field, things really got out of hand. It didn't take long for additional enraged spectators to attempt to scale the barriers and enter the field of play.
 

The 1985 European Cup final is still fresh in the memories of football fans in England and Italy. Juventus supporters were stoned by Liverpool supporters even before the game started. This ultimately resulted in the English supporters jumping a fence separating them from a neutral area and charging the Italian supporters.

As a result, some Juventus supporters retreated atop a concrete retaining wall while others tried to flee the disturbance on to another stand. Before it fell, several fans were pushed up against the outer wall.

600 people were hurt, and 39 fans—mostly Juventus supporters—died after being crushed to death or from suffocation. Despite the catastrophe, the game was continued, and this has garnered attention over time.

Thousands of fans packed Ellis Park Stadium for a Soweto Derby match between the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates on April 11, 2001. Approximately 60,000 spectators were already inside the stadium, but an additional 30,000 were attempting to do so. Despite the smaller stadium's capacity, a remarkable 120,000 spectators were allowed entry that day.

Unfortunatelly, this led to a stampede that killed 43 people. Untrained security officers fired tear gas at the crowd after failing to contain it, which made things worse by producing further confusion and panic.

A match between the national teams of Nepal and Bangladesh was scheduled for March 12 at the National Stadium in Kathmandu in front of 30,000 spectators.

However, a hailstorm that occurred inside the stadium during play caused terror and fear among the spectators. Only one of the stadium's eight exits was open as fans anxiously tried to leave, much to the horror of the shouting crowd.