Supporters were left “so disappointed” after a fanzone event at a venue in Newcastle streaming England’s World Cup match against the USA appeared to get stuck on the wrong channel.
NX Newcastle released a statement on Twitter to say staff were “very disappointed with the technical problems” which meant the crowd missed the start of the second half of the 0-0 game on Friday night, inviting chants of “we want our money back”, according to one attendee.
In a video posted to the platform by 21-year-old Adam Pearson that has now garnered more than 500,000 views, the crowd can be heard shouting as the large TV screen flips through various channels before finally landing on the game, provoking loud cheers.
“Ultimately everyone was angry … (we missed the) first 20 minutes of the second half,” Mr Pearson, a YouTuber from Wallsend, North Tyneside, told the PA news agency.
“The TV went off at half time and for the next 30 minutes the event struggled to resume the match, causing the crowd to become more hostile… including chants of ‘we want our money back’.”
“The entry price was between £10 – £15, so obviously people were very upset about not being able to see the game.”
The venue said in its statement that staff are “working with the event promoter to establish precisely why the football screening was not delivered as expected”.
“NX would like to apologise to all fans who had such a disappointing experience. We would like to add that the event was not promoted by NX but by a promoter with a long-standing track record of delivering sports events in the city. We will provide an update regarding ticket refunds shortly.”
Though Mr Pearson said he was “not entirely sure” of the cause of the problem, he was “angry” and maintained that “the damage was already done” following the statement from NX.
“I’m so disappointed by my experience last night,” he wrote in a tweet.
He added that the TV also “wasn’t on for long periods of time”.
Some took to Twitter to demand refunds from the venue.
