FIFA have issued a statement after England fans were caught up in ticket chaos prior to their World Cup opener against Iran.
FIFA's app used for tickets appeared to crash in the build-up to Monday's games. Supporters said that their tickets had disappeared off the mobile app, while any user who has logged out in the past 24 hours found themselves unable to log back in.
A number of fans posted screenshots of the defective app on social media, and footage on social media showed irate fans stuck in huge queues outside the stadium. Some with VIP tickets were also believed to be caught up in the chaos, with reports of some fans queuing for two hours but failing to gain entry to the stadium for kick-off.
A FIFA statement read: "Some spectators are currently experiencing an issue with accessing their tickets via the FIFA Ticketing app. FIFA is working on solving the issue. In the meantime, fans who are not able to access their mobile tickets should check the email accounts they used to register with the Ticketing app for further instructions.
"In case fans cannot access their email accounts, the stadium's Ticket Resolution Point will be able to support. We thank fans for their understanding as we work to fix the issue as soon as possible. "
The issue was addressed by Gary Lineker hosting BBC's coverage before the game. He said: "We're getting reports that England fans have had a two hour wait outside the stadium due to issues with the FIFA ticketing app.
"There are obviously lots of empty seats, you can see that for yourselves, and apparently there are long queues and some fans haven't got in yet from outside the stadium.
"Hopefully that resolves itself and we'll update you, of course, should we hear any further news on that issue."
All eight stadiums in Qatar have help centres outside to assist with issues, according to tournament organisers, but with a significant number of supporters experiencing issues, huge queues quickly formed.
Some users of the app were met with a message saying "there is no ticket associated with your email address" upon logging in. A United States fan affected by the problem told Mirror Football that those affected were told to queue at a Doha convention centre to have a paper ticket printed off.
"The FIFA app had everyone worried because our tickets disappeared completely," she said, having noticed the issue at approximately 2pm local time. "We tried calling FIFA and the automated system disconnected us."
The fan, who has been to multiple World Cups but asked not to be named out of fear that their tickets for other games will be withdrawn, was then directed to a help desk at the convention centre where "hundreds" of fans were already queuing.
"People with tickets to the 4pm match are being told to go to the stadium directly," she added.
A video clip seen by Mirror Football showed irate supporters arguing with security staff in a lengthy queue outside the convention centre, although the organisation was good inside..
It is the latest logistical issue to impact supporters at a tournament that is bordering on farce with England fans amongst those now caught in the crossfire.
