By Mark Gleeson and Javier Leira JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - At least nine people, including one policeman, were taken to hospital after a stampede broke out during a pre-World Cup friendly match at the Makhulong Stadium between Nigeria and North Korea on Sunday, police said. The match was briefly stopped early in the second half because of the injuries and safety of the fans in the overcrowded main stand where the fencing had been removed. "Police have asked me to stop the match because of rioting and injuries," South Africa soccer official Steve Goddard told Reuters. The match resumed some five minutes later. The police officer sustained serious injuries when mostly Nigerian fans pushed the gate on to him in their effort to enter the 10,000-seater stadium to watch the match between the two World Cup participants. "He was crushed by the gates as people stormed them, trying to get in," a police official at the scene told Reuters. Among those injured was at least one child, according to a Reuters witness. Hundreds of fans, holding what police said were photocopies of tickets, tried to break down the gates after the match had started and police had closed them. Medics said they had transferred 13 people to hospital but some of them had only minor scrapes. Some 500 fans remained in the area around the stadium after the stampede. Inside the stadium there were still many empty seats as the match was not sold out. The tournament kicks off on Friday, June 11.
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