World Rugby promises action as fans battle to enter stadiums

BORDEAUX – World Rugby promised to take action late on Saturday evening after thousands of fans were stuck outside the stadium ahead of England's World Cup Pool D victory over Argentina in Marseille.

There were long queues of fans milling around outside the stadium gates within minutes of kick-off, and empty seats as the game got under way.

Ten minutes before kick-off, there was still a long queue at one of the two entry points to the Stade Velodrome, with more than 1,000 supporters waiting to enter.

As kick-off approached, security staff reduced their checks to allow the queue to move faster.

At the start, many supporters were still trying to find their seats in the stadium.

Some fans will have missed Tom Curry's third-minute red card, which sparked a defiant all-action 27-10 win for England, with all 27 points coming off the boot of fly-half George Ford.

A source close to the organisers said the problem had arisen because a large number of supporters arrived shortly before the match at one of two designated entrances.

To speed up the spectators’ passage into the stadium, an alleyway that is normally closed was opened, the source said. The longest delay was around 20 minutes.

Former England international Brian Moore blasted the organisation.

“To Rugby World Cup – the organisation at the Marseille stadium was beyond shambolic,” he wrote on social media.

“While fans were able to take their seats, fan experience is paramount, and we are working with all stakeholders to establish the facts and implement measures to prevent such delays for the remaining Rugby World Cup 2023 matches at the venue,” World Rugby said.

The statement did not address similar frustrations felt by fans in Bordeaux, with hundreds of Ireland fans still battling to get into the stadium as their game against Romania kicked off on Saturday afternoon in 35 deg C heat.

Fans posting on social media blamed the city's tram system, which was overloaded hours before kick-off and could not cope with the volumes of supporters trying to reach the stadium.

There were packed trams in the build-up to the game and long queues of fans outside the stadium as well as swathes of empty seats within, as the game began.

The organisational woes will be an embarrassment for the French authorities as they prepare to host the Olympic Games in Paris in July 2024.

The scenes also had echoes of

the 2022 Champions League football final in Paris,

which was delayed by 36 minutes with thousands of Liverpool fans trapped outside.

Police then fired tear gas towards thousands of mainly Liverpool supporters locked behind metal fences on the perimeter of the stadium.

Organiser Uefa originally

blamed the fans before apologising,

after an independent report into the affair found the sport’s European governing body was primarily responsible for the chaos.
REUTERS, AFP