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Thousands of seats are EMPTY at the start of Morocco’s World Cup quarter-final tie with Portugal as fans fight to get in amid reports of supporters without tickets trying to get in instead
The first quarter-final match on Saturday between Morocco and Portugal has been marred by seemingly thousands of supporters fighting to get onto the pitch.
Thousands of empty seats were seen on television as the game began, with ITV Sport commentator Jon Champion suggesting that there was no “mad race” for supporters to be late for their seats.
Qatar 2022 has experienced some difficulties filling the stadiums, which were purpose-built for the tournament. Although Morocco are the best supported team remaining in the tournament and their matches have been marked by packed stadiums and a raucous atmosphere rarely seen elsewhere.
The game began with countless empty seats with reports of supporters struggling to get onto the ground.
Reports of supporters fighting to get in circulated, as it was suggested that the problems had started with fans without tickets trying to get inside their venue.
Reporters outside the field said they had been told by supporters that the empty seats were due to “additional layers of security” when they entered the field.
Other reports said traffic was to blame. The ground filled up as expected with no reports of any serious incidents.
Others suggested that supporters without tickets had blocked the way so those with tickets would not enter the field. It was reported that riot police were then deployed to try to rectify the problems.
Empty seating blocks could be seen all over the ground after the game was on.
Reports from off the field suggested the problems had been caused by supporters without tickets.
Another figure on the pitch seemed to suggest that FIFA was a ‘disgrace’ for starting the game on time, as the pitch was reportedly only 25 per cent full at kick-off.
“It is extraordinary that the biggest football match in North African history is about to kick off in a 25 per cent full stadium while thousands are outside trying to get in with heavy-handed police/security and thousands of fans without ticket that can hit the ground. A shame @FIFA’, they tweeted.
As the game progressed, the ground became increasingly busy, and Champion suggested that someone had “found the keys to another couple of doors”.
The start of the tournament was marked by ticket problems with the FIFA app. They issued a statement after some supporters were unable to make it to England-Iran on time.
It read: ‘Some viewers are having trouble accessing their tickets through the FIFA ticketing app. FIFA is working to resolve the issue.
In the meantime, fans who are unable to access their mobile tickets should check the email accounts they used to register with the ticketing app for further instructions.
The ground slowly filled up as the game progressed, with Morocco fans decking the stadium in blocks of red.
‘Should fans be unable to access their email accounts, the stadium’s Ticket Resolution Point will be able to provide assistance.
“We thank the fans for their understanding as we work to fix the issue as soon as possible.”
The empty seats debacle in Saturday afternoon’s quarter-final comes after Sportsmail revealed that tickets were still available for England’s clash with France in the evening.
As of Friday morning, fans were still able to purchase tickets for what many consider to be the tie for the round. Although they would have to shell out about £7,500 for the privilege.
All general tickets for the delicious clash against the world champions at the Al Bayt Stadium, which were priced between £90 and £150, have sold out, although there are a few hospitality packages still available.
England fans could still buy tickets to Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final at £7,500 from Friday morning
Hospitality tickets are not available through the official World Cup ticket portal and those wishing to purchase them must make a separate inquiry to FIFA.
The initial reports naturally instilled fears that a situation similar to the one that marred this year’s Champions League final could develop.
UEFA’s flagship game saw its kick-off time delayed by more than half an hour as Liverpool supporters fought their way onto the pitch amid heavy-handed tactics by French police, who used tear gas and batons against unsuspecting supporters.
The European governing body issued “sincere apologies” to those affected by the violence and other harrowing scenes they saw while trying to enter the ground in late May. Initially, they had put a statement on the giant screens at the Stade de France blaming supporters without tickets for trying to get in for the problem.