Four people have been killed in a stampede that broke out at a football stadium in Iraq hours before the Gulf Cup final between Iraq and Oman, which was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (16:00 GMT).
The incident happened when thousands of fans without tickets attempted to enter the stadium in Basra to watch the final match of the tournament.
According to Medical and Security sources, dozens of people have been injured.
“Some of them are in critical condition after the stampede,” Aljazeera’s AbdelWahed said.
“The authorities here, in order to alleviate the anger of those fans who were turned back from the vicinity of the stadium, have set up large screens in fan zones in main squares in the city to give them an opportunity to watch the match outdoors,” Abdelwahed said.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s football association has announced that the main stadium has been filled to capacity. Authorities in front of the main gate at the stadium have asked all fans to leave the area.
Source: Aljazeera News
