SHANGHAI (AFP) - Football star David Beckham visited young leukaemia patients at a Shanghai hospital on Tuesday, causing a wave of chaos which forced police to seal off several of the hospital's entrances.

Hundreds of fans, staff, the media and curious bystanders converged upon the hospital, prompting police to close off access to a wing of Xinhua Hospital, an AFP reporter witnessed. No-one was allowed to enter or leave the wing for several hours.

One woman screamed hysterically as angry police refused to allow her inside, and organisers were forced to cancel a donation ceremony scheduled to take place outside the hospital.

"I want to see a doctor," she said as she tried to fight her way in.

Beckham is in Shanghai with his US club, LA Galaxy, for an exhibition match against a Shanghai-Hong Kong team on Wednesday.

Police struggled to clear people away from the ward's main entrance, holding up Beckham's car for at least 15 minutes.

The Galaxy, who begin their regular season in the US at the end of March, are in Shanghai as part or a three-city Asian tour.

The club lost in a penalty shootout to K-League side FC Seoul on Saturday. After their Shanghai match, Beckham and his team will travel to Hong Kong for a game against a South China side on March 9.

The former England captain is very popular in Asia, drawing huge crowds when he captained the national side during the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

Source: AFP