sports
Fifa downplays reports of ticketless fans breaching security at England World Cup game
Fans report ‘huge gaps’ at the side of ticket barriers
TL;DR
- Reports suggest ticketless England supporters entered the World Cup opener against Croatia at Dallas Stadium.
- Fans described "huge gaps" at ticket barriers and lenient security checks, with some "jibbing in" or jumping over turnstiles.
- Despite a large security operation, including snipers, fans claimed it was easy to gain entry without tickets.
- FIFA has stated there is no indication of fans entering without valid match tickets.
- Some England fans were also forced to remove flags from certain areas of the ground, with threats of confiscation.
- One fan described the treatment of football fans as being "treated like cattle".