Arabian Gulf Cup stampede

Crowd crush at a football match in Basra

30°26′24″N 47°46′47″E / 30.44000°N 47.77972°E / 30.44000; 47.77972 (Basra International Stadium)Deaths1^[2]–4^[3]Non-fatal injuries60–^[2]80+^[3]

The Arabian Gulf Cup "stampede" was a crowd crush that took place on 19 January 2023 outside the Basra International Stadium in the Iraqi city of Basra, ahead of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup final between Iraq and Oman. Up to four people died and up to 60 were injured in the crush. The families of the dead blamed inadequate crowd control and ticketless fans for the death and injuries.^[4] The stadium security staff blamed ticketless fans.^[3]

Background

The final match of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup, between Iraq and Oman, was to be played at the Basra stadium. This was the first time that the tournament was being held in Iraq since 1979. In a statement before the game, Iraq's Ministry of Interior encouraged anyone who did not have tickets to the final to leave the area around the stadium. It stated that the stadium was completely full and that all gates had been closed.^{[citation needed]}

Events

On January 19, 2023, between one and four people were killed when thousands^[5] of fans without tickets waited outside Basra International Stadium since daybreak in the hopes of viewing the rare home international final, resulting in a crush as crowds attempted to enter the stadium. Despite the crush, the Arabian Gulf Cup final match went ahead as planned,^[6] and Iraq won the eight-nation event by defeating Oman 3–2 after extra time.^[7]

References

^ "Basra International Stadium (Basra Sports City Main Stadium)". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
^ ^a ^b "Deadly crush outside Iraq football stadium before Gulf Cup final". BBC. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Four dead, dozens injured in stampede at Gulf Cup in Iraq - Football News - Al Jazeera". Al Jazeera. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
^ "Ticketless fans, organisers blamed for Iraq stadium stampede - Football News - Al Jazeera". Al Jazeera. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
^ "Iraq stadium stampede: Football fan killed, dozens left injured - Arabian Business". Arabian Business. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
^ "Gulf Cup soccer final in Iraq to take place despite stampede - CNN". CNN. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
^ "Manaf Younis nets winner to help Iraq edge out Oman 3-2 in Gulf Cup final - Football – Gulf News". Gulf News. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.