Morocco fans escape 'crush' outside stadium ahead of last-16 match with Spain

Families with young children were lucky to escape injury outside the Education City Stadium when a crush developed as several hundred fans were forced backwards from an entry point by security staff, mounted police and dog handlers.

One policeman, who fell off his horse, was hurt in the melee, which will raise concern within the Football Association about security as England potentially could face Morocco in the semi-finals.

The Moroccans, alongside the Argentines have the largest, most boisterous following at the tournament, turning out in their tens of thousands to cheer on their side. Many are guest workers in Qatar.

There had been issues with Moroccan supporters – some reportedly ticketless – trying to gain entry to the Al Thumama Stadium for the game with Canada in the group stage. Alerted by that, enhanced security measures were introduced around the Education City Stadium before Tuesday last-16 tie with Spain.

Long before kick-off, checkpoints were set up, filled with both local security staff and officers wearing Turkish insignia on their uniform. After leaving the metro station, fans were obliged to pass through three or four control points in order to gain access to the stadium, showing their tickets at each stage.

But, apparently alarmed that a group of fans were attempting to break through the cordon, as kick-off approached, the security contingent blocked off access to one of the stadium entry points. The ostensible reason was to prevent fans without tickets getting close to the stadium. But many fans in possession of tickets were caught up in the melee.

Several clips circulating on social media showed police in riot gear pushing fans, some of whom, in a worrying echo of what happened to Liverpool supporters outside the Stade de France ahead of this year’s Champions League final, found themselves forced up against a chain link fence.

In one clip, a woman speaking in English can be heard pleading to the police officers. She tells them that there is a baby in the crowd, saying: “They're gonna get trampled, there's too many people.”

However, the disturbance appeared to be restricted to just one entrance point. At kick-off the stadium was largely full, suggesting most of those with tickets had been able to gain access. Indeed, over the public address system in the second half, it was announced that the game was a sell-out with a full capacity of 44,667.

In a statement, the organising committee of the Qatar World Cup said: “A number of unticketed supporters gathered outside the Education City Stadium ahead of the Morocco vs Spain match in an attempt to gain access to the stadium. ‘Soft’ ticket check had been established some distance from the stadium perimeter to prevent groups crowding stadium access points.

“Despite this, a small group of fans were able to approach the stadium fence and were quickly dispersed by tournament security forces on the ground, with no injuries or further issues reported. Fans were redirected to the local free fan zone where the match was being aired. Ensuring the safety and security of every fan is of paramount importance and all decisions taken are directed towards this aim.”