Spain and Morocco fans were trapped in a crush outside their World Cup game due to crowd carnage.
Before the round of 16 match at Education City Stadium began, spectators were forced up against a chain link fence and became stuck there, prompting the deployment of riot police.
Fans of both sides are captured on terrifying video being trapped on a little passageway between two barriers.
At the conclusion, riot police and security personnel can be seen obstructing their path and pushing the fans aside.
Other video depicts a sizable throng as police with helmets engage the fans in combat.
According to reports, security personnel blamed the crowd on spectators trying to enter the stadium without tickets.
In video released from the scene, men, women, and children could all be seen trapped in the mass jammed up against the fence.
As they rounded up the spectators gathered outside the stadium, police lined up with riot shields.
The number of Moroccan fans in the World Cup is among the highest of any team still competing.
Many of them are rooting for their team to reach its first quarterfinal from their homes and places of employment in Qatar.
On Tuesday, security seemed more strict than at recent games prior to kickoff.
Drones were spotted hovering overhead, riot police were stationed in rows, and officers were seen riding horses.
‘Show your tickets, please,’ cried stadium marshals to approaching spectators, and security guards scrutinized their tickets before allowing them entry.
Beyond the marshals, there was a throng of spectators waiting without tickets.
One man, who wished to remain unnamed, stated, “We hope to get in.”
The support of its loud, red-clan fans has been considered as a huge advantage in the first World Cup hosted by an Arab state, despite Morocco being the underdog and making it to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986.
Atlas Lions represent the hopes of the entire continent “In a front-page headline, the Moroccan newspaper Maroc Le Jour said.
The familiarity of the opponents may add spice to the match.
Thousands of Moroccans live and work on the Spanish mainland, which is visible from Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar.
As a colonial power, Spain ruled over large portions of northern Morocco in addition to the Western Sahara, a region that Rabat claims as its own. Spain still holds the minor North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Rabat claims Spain should cede.
After Morocco withdrew its ambassador to Spain in 2021 due to a disagreement over Madrid’s treatment of a leader of the Western Sahara separatist movement, diplomatic relations between the two countries mended this year.
The Moroccan consulate has requested that supporters “display sportsmanship regardless of the result” and abstain from any actions that can lead to conflicts with Spanish supporters.
Spain v Morocco
These sides last played one another at the most recent World Cup, where they drew 2-2 in the group stage.
Prior to Isco’s equalizer, Khalid Boutaib gave the Moroccans the lead.
They took the lead in the 81st minute thanks to Youssef En Nesyri, who starts today, until Iago Aspas salvaged a draw in stoppage time.
Spain advanced to the round of 16, but fell to the hosts Russia in the round of 16. Will they experience the same heartbreak today, or will they be able to prove to the world just how deadly they are?
The cheers and clamor inside Education City Stadium were out of this world, and the venue was already nearly full. The fans were on cloud nine.
