Asian Cup turmoil as fans with tickets turned away from Khalifa Stadium in Doha

LOCKED OUT: Australian fans who held tickets were turned away at the gate in Qatar last night after organisers inexplicably gave away seats to thousands of local workers. Picture: Getty images Source: Getty Images

Witnesses spoke of a "sea of people" pleading for entry, waving their tickets in the air but turned back by a wall of riot police.

Many Australians who had bought tickets in advance found themselves stranded outside. The fans' anger has refocused the spotlight on Qatar's plans for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

It is believed the chaos was caused when organisers, fearing ticketholders would not show up for the final, gave away free tickets to local workers who filled sections of the stadium.

Dan Crawthorne, a freelance cameraman, said supporters were begging for admittance.

"It was complete chaos. All I could see was this sea of people waving their tickets in the air," he said. "There were Australians who had just flown in the for the day but as the crowds outside got bigger the riot police arrived and lined up behind the fence.

"No one was telling them anything and I saw loads of people just give up and leave. Even with a media pass I couldn't get in for about half an hour into the game. People were begging me to borrow the pass. I started to take photos of what was going on but the police tried to take my camera off me. They had horses and dogs, it was pretty full on."

Tempers frayed and other witnesses told of furious confrontations between police and fans, though it's not known if there were any arrests. Bizarrely the official attendance for the game was recorded as 37,147 in a 50,000-capacity stadium, with some VIP ticket holders among those barred.

"It was a disgrace," said an Australian who declined to be named. "What a waste of money."

Organisers said there would be no comment on the issue until late on Sunday local time (early Monday morning AEST).