One killed, dozens injured in stampede before Iraq Gulf Cup final 

Baghdad: One person has died while dozens sustained injuries on Thursday in a stampede outside a stadium in Iraq, several hours before the final of the Gulf Cup football.

According to details, thousands of ticketless fans thronged the gates of a stadium, hoping to watch the match between Iraq and Oman, when the stampede occurred.

“There is one death and dozens of minor injuries,” said a medical source. 

A Home Office official confirmed the toll, explaining that the crush was due to the “large number of fans, especially people without tickets, who had gathered since morning and tried to enter” the stadium.

According to an AFP photographer inside the sports complex, the gates were closed when the stampede took place. 

Iraq, a country battered by four decades of conflict, is betting heavily on the 25th Gulf Football Cup in Basra to restore its image after years without being able to organize international meetings because of the security situation.

This is the first time since 1979 that the Gulf Cup, a bi-annual event, has been organized there.

But logistical problems plagued the tournament from the opening ceremony two weeks ago. 

The tournament brought together eight countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. 

Iraq managed to qualify for the final which is to take place on Thursday evening.