Iraqi Football Fans Crushed Outside A Stadium Killing One And Injuring Sixty
Iraqi football fans crushed outside a stadium killing one and injuring sixty. This happened on Thursday in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, when Iraq beat Oman 3-2 to win the Gulf Cup for the first time since 1988.
Author:Suleman ShahReviewer:Han JuJan 20, 20233.2K Shares299.7K Views
Iraqi football fans crushed outside a stadium killing one and injuring sixty. This happened on Thursday in the southern Iraqi city of Basra when Iraq beat Oman 3-2 to win the Gulf Cup for the first time since 1988.
Tens of thousands of people were going to the Basra International Stadium to watch the Arabian Gulf Cup final between Iraq and Oman. A healthofficial said that there was a crush that killed at least two people and hurt dozens more. Officials said that many people hoped to get in even though they didn't have tickets.
A medical source told the state-run Iraqi National Agency (INA) that some of the people who were hurt were in very bad shape. Videos that were shared on social media seemed to show a lot of people lying still on the ground and medical workers trying to bring a man back to life.
A road leading to the stadium was lined with a huge crowd hours before the game, which was set to start at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT). A photographer for the AFP newsagency who was inside the stadium said that the turnstiles were not open when the crush happened.
Fans with tickets were later let into the stadium, but then the turnstiles were closed again and people still outside were asked to leave. It was a blow to the people who were planning the first international soccer tournament to be held in Iraq since 1979. The bigger prize of hosting qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup seemed close. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, as well as Iraq, play in the Arabian Gulf Cup every two years.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, only two World Cup qualifiers have been played there. One was against Jordan in the northern city of Erbil in 2011, and the other was against Hong Kong in the southern city of Basra eight years later. All of the national team's other games have been played in countries close by, like Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
At least one dead after stampede outside football stadium in Iraq
Baghdad last hosted a competitive international game in September 2001, when Bahrain came to town. However, United Arab Emirates was finally set to come to town on March 24, 2018, for a 2022 World Cup qualifier. After a missile attack on Erbil, the Iraqi capital, 11 days before the game, the location was changed from Iraq to Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani was said to be in charge of the situation on the ground, while the Iraqi army asked people in Basra to let the Arabian Gulf Cup end "wrapped up in a civilized fashion that does honor to Iraq."
He added by saying:
“„The Gulf Cup is a message to international sports institutions that Iraq is a safe country, that it has the capacity and capabilities enabling it to attract tournaments.- Iraq's new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
He said that FIFA should let Iraq play World Cup qualifying games at home.
“The simplest message that the international federation could give to the Iraqi fans is lifting the international ban on Iraqi stadiums,” he said.
Conclusion
Earlier this month, Iraq had to apologize to its neighboring country Kuwait because chaos in the VIP section of the stadium kept the emir's representative from going to the opening game.
After many years of war and political turmoil, the tournament was meant to show a more positive side of the country.
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Suleman Shah
Author
Suleman Shah is a researcher and freelance writer. As a researcher, he has worked with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (Pakistan) and Texas A & M University (USA). He regularly writes science articles and blogs for science news website immersse.com and open access publishers OA Publishing London and Scientific Times. He loves to keep himself updated on scientific developments and convert these developments into everyday language to update the readers about the developments in the scientific era. His primary research focus is Plant sciences, and he contributed to this field by publishing his research in scientific journals and presenting his work at many Conferences.
Shah graduated from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan) and started his professional carrier with Jaffer Agro Services and later with the Agriculture Department of the Government of Pakistan. His research interest compelled and attracted him to proceed with his carrier in Plant sciences research. So, he started his Ph.D. in Soil Science at MNS University of Agriculture Multan (Pakistan). Later, he started working as a visiting scholar with Texas A&M University (USA).
Shah’s experience with big Open Excess publishers like Springers, Frontiers, MDPI, etc., testified to his belief in Open Access as a barrier-removing mechanism between researchers and the readers of their research. Shah believes that Open Access is revolutionizing the publication process and benefitting research in all fields.
Han Ju
Reviewer
Hello! I'm Han Ju, the heart behind World Wide Journals. My life is a unique tapestry woven from the threads of news, spirituality, and science, enriched by melodies from my guitar. Raised amidst tales of the ancient and the arcane, I developed a keen eye for the stories that truly matter. Through my work, I seek to bridge the seen with the unseen, marrying the rigor of science with the depth of spirituality.
Each article at World Wide Journals is a piece of this ongoing quest, blending analysis with personal reflection. Whether exploring quantum frontiers or strumming chords under the stars, my aim is to inspire and provoke thought, inviting you into a world where every discovery is a note in the grand symphony of existence.
Welcome aboard this journey of insight and exploration, where curiosity leads and music guides.
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