At least one person was killed and 40 others were injured when disaster struck ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Madagascar and Senegal in Antananarivo.
According to reports by BBC News, a stampede ensued when thousands of fans rushed into the stadium as kick-off approached.
While media reports suggested that 40 people were injured in the chaos at least two fans are reported to be in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, it is believed that fans had been queuing up from the early hours of Sunday morning, to catch the action at the Stade Municipal de Mahamasina despite kick-off only set for 14:30.
"We were waiting in the queue from six o'clock in the morning. We were metres from the gate when the stampede took place. I was trampled on the back, but my backpack cushioned the impact," Rivo Raberisaona told the AFP news agency.
Moreover, according to another person, whose uncle was injured in the stampede, an alleged lack of access points to the stadium may have been at the forefront of the stempede.
"I do not understand why there was only one gate open into the stadium when it's such a big match," Henintsoa Mialy Harizafy explained.
However, while tragedy had taken place outside the venue, the clash still took place in front of a capacity crowd as Madagascar put on a brave performance to claim a 2-2 draw.
This is not the first time that a disaster of this nature has occurred on the African continent. Just last year, there were stampedes at football stadiums in both Angola and Malawi which claimed the lives of several fans and included women and children.