Kuwait football board resigns after World Cup qualifier stampede
Kuwait’s football board has resigned after fans fainted during chaos and stampedes at an International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup qualifying match on Sunday.
During the ongoing FIFA World Cup Qualifying Round in Kuwait, chaos erupted while a match against Iraq was being played at the Jabir Al-Ahmad International Stadium. With water unavailable in the extreme heat, many fans fainted.
During the ensuing chaos and stampede, some fans entered the stadium without tickets, while many were stopped from entering despite having tickets.
The entire board of Kuwait’s football governing body has resigned following the scandal.
Seven Board members tendered their resignations after an inquiry into the number of fans and ticketing and logistics issues at the 60,000-capacity stadium.
Last Wednesday, the Kuwait Football Association suspended its secretary general, Salah Al-Qanai, and head of public relations, Mohammad Bu Abbas, for ‘unacceptable reasons’.