FIFA yesterday asked for a full report into what caused a football stadium tragedy that killed at least 19 people in the Ivory Coast.

In addition to the deaths, 132 people were wounded on Sunday when the crowd stampeded before a World Cup qualifying match against Malawi in the capital Abidjan.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter sent a message of sympathy to the victims and asked for a report from the Ivorian football association and city authorities.

Condolences

"I wish to express extreme sorrow and extend our condolences to the Ivorian football community and most importantly, to family, friends and loved ones following the tragic deaths in Abidjan yesterday," Blatter said in a statement.

FIFA, the global governing body of football which organises the World Cup, said it had asked for the reports "to establish the sequence of events that happened outside the stadium before the match".

Ivory Coast state television reported that Prime Minister Guillaume Soro had convened an emergency cabinet meeting late yesterday to discuss the incident.

Eyewitnesses said a wall at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium collapsed under the weight of fans.

The stadium was packed with spectators, many drawn to see star striker Didier Drogba return from England to play for his home country.

The crush set off a panic 40 minutes before kick-off. Witnesses said fans rushed toward the field, causing a wall to come down and setting off a stampede.

World-cup qualifier

The match went ahead as sche-duled. Ivory Coast won 5-0 with Chelsea striker Drogba scoring twice.

It was the first match in the final stage of African qualifying for the 2010 World Cup being played in South Africa. It also counted toward qualifying for the 2010 African Cup of Nations hosted by Angola next January.

Danny Jordaan, who heads the 2010 World Cup organising committee, pledged yesterday that the problems which too often lead to stadium stampedes on the continent would not be an issue during the tournament. Jordaan said fans without tickets would be "stopped kilometres away".

'I wish to express extreme sorrow and extend our condolences to the Ivorian football community and most importantly, to family, friends and loved ones.'