A stampede broke out outside an Iraqi football stadium hours before the Gulf Cup final, killing one person and injuring dozens, officials said.
War-torn countries have long been barred from hosting international football matches. Iraq had hoped that the Gulf Cup would help to improve its image, but it had already been forced to apologize for organizational flaws.
Thousands of fans, many of whom lacked tickets, had gathered outside the 65,000-seater stadium in Basra, Iraq’s main southern city, since dawn in the hope of watching the final between Iraq and Oman.
“There has been one death and dozens of minor injuries,” said a medic.
The same figure was given by an official from the Interior Ministry. “A large number of fans, many of whom did not have tickets, had gathered since first light to try to get in,” said the official.
The turnstiles were still closed, according to an AFP photographer inside the stadium, when the crush occurred. As ambulances arrived to transport the injured to hospitals, sirens blared.
Social media images showed a sea of people outside the stadium.
Fans began to return to Basra International Stadium in the afternoon as calm was restored, according to interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan.
After fans entered the arena, many of whom were waving Iraqi flags, the gates were closed ahead of the match, which the football federation confirmed would begin at 7:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
– ‘Representing Iraq’ –
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had earlier convened a meeting with key ministers and Basra’s governor to discuss “special measures for the Gulf Cup final,” according to his office.
According to the report, the Iraqi leader traveled to Basra to monitor the situation on the ground.
The army called on fans to heed the instructions of security force personnel on access to the stadium to allow the championship to be “wrapped up in a civilised fashion that does honour to Iraq”.
In the past, deadly stampedes have occurred in Iraq, most recently in Karbala during the Ashura commemorations in 2019, when 31 people were killed.
Football is by far Iraq’s most popular spectator sport, and the rare opportunity to watch home international games has attracted thousands of fans.
Thousands of foreign fans have traveled from neighboring Kuwait to see the games in Basra, which is only about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Iraq compete in the Gulf Cup.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the event, but it is the first time Iraq has hosted it since 1979, the year Saddam Hussein took power.
Following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, FIFA imposed a ban on Iraq.
Because of Iraq’s years of war and instability, other bans were imposed sporadically until early last year.
Despite Iraq’s determination to demonstrate that it can safely host an international sporting event, the tournament has been plagued by logistical issues, with fans with tickets as well as accredited journalists being turned away.
After a scuffle in the VIP section prevented its leader’s representative from attending the opening ceremony, Iraq was forced to apologize to its neighbor Kuwait.
