Crowd crush fears surface in Doha, Qatar as '80,000 fans clash with police'

Chaos struck the World Cup's fan zone in Doha, Qatar on Sunday as 80,000 fans tried to pack into the venue when it can only accommodate less than half that number.

The enclosed area in Al Bidda, central Doha, contains one big-screen television for viewing matches and places to buy beer - and given the dearth of other options in the expensive Arab city, it was a very popular option for fans.

So many supporters arrived during the opening game of the Cup that riot police armed with batons and shields were forced to keep the crowd crush at bay, standing guard at the entrance and repeatedly refusing requests to let people in after the fan zone was closed.

It left some fans fearing for their lives, particularly after a number of high-profile crowd crushes in recent times.

That includes the recent Halloween crowd crush in South Korea that saw 158 killed, a stampede that left 125 dead at a football match in Indonesia in October, and the sadly infamous Astroworld crush, where 10 people died watching rapper Travis Scott perform in Houston, Texas.

'It's very risky. People, they could die,' said Iraqi man Hatem El-Berarri, who said he was working in neighbouring Dubai.

'Old people, women, they cannot handle crowds like this. Thank God I'm a little bit tall, so I can breathe. But I saw some kids and said "get them up. They cannot breathe".'

El-Berarri said he saw people pushing and shoving, and women crying.

'My family is inside. I cannot enter to see them anymore. I don´t know what to do,' El-Berarri said, calling the organisation at the venue 'not very good'.

Luis Reyes, a Mexican-American living in Los Angeles, likened the crush to scenes a that saw more than 150 killed in South Korea a few weeks ago.

'You can´t go back and you can't go forward. I told my son, "Let's go outside. It's too dangerous",' he said.

An Australian journalist was one of many who were not allowed to enter the fan zone after being turned away by riot police.

'Footage begins to emerge of the chaotic crowd rush within. Then we surge past a 40m line for the bathroom - surely a greater deterrent for a pint of beer than even the $25 price tag,' he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

It's not yet clear if anyone was injured or arrested as a result of the chaotic scenes.

There was a similar situation Saturday night at a pre-World Cup concert as people tried to push their way inside the same fan zone.

Not everyone was happy there was beer being served at the fan zone, however, despite a last-minute backflip from organisers, who banned selling alcohol inside stadiums.

Mahdi Hussain, a 17-year-old who could not gain entry, said he was not happy that beer was being served.

'That bothers me. I don´t want to be in an atmosphere where there is alcohol,' he said.

On the other hand, Samira Said, who moved to Qatar from Egypt about 25 years ago, said she was overjoyed that an Arab country got to host the World Cup.

'As an Arab, I felt honoured. I was happy,' the 50-year-old said.

The World Cup continues on Monday, with England v Iran, Senegal v Netherlands and USA v Wales part of a blockbuster day of football as the tournament kicks off in earnest.