The problems with FIFA’s electronic ticketing system that forced hundreds of England fans to queue up outside a tent to receive print outs before the 6-2 win over Iran on Monday have still not been fixed.
On Wednesday morning FIFA sent affected users an email telling them to visit designated points outside of stadiums before today's games to receive a paper ticket that will allow them entry to stadiums.
The message, partially redacted to protect the identity of a supporter impacted by the broken app, reads: "This email is only applicable to customers experiencing an issue to access their tickets via the FIFA Ticketing App. If you are not experiencing any issue, please use the mobile tickets displayed in your FIFA Ticketing app to access the Stadium and disregard this email.
"For all customers experiencing issues, please go to the nearest ticketing point at [stadium] to exchange this email for your ticket(s) to attend the match. This email refers to Match [one of today's games]. Your seat information is as follows [seats listed]."
On Monday and Tuesday thousands of fans were impacted, leading to long queues outside the main ticketing office in Doha’s Convention Centre. Some fans faced four-hour waits to be seen and many complained of having to stand outside the centre for long periods of time without water.
There was chaos outside Khalifa International Stadium ahead of England’s opening Group B match, with some suggestions that kick off would be delayed. Hundreds found themselves in a snaking line waiting to receive a hard copy of their tickets with video footage showing fans simply walking into the stadium, which was nowhere near at capacity, after the game had started.
“I've got a ticket for the game this evening but it's not loaded, the system has crashed. All of these people are struggling with the same issue,” one fan told BBC in a segment broadcast at half time of the match.
Another man said: “We came two or three hours early, all the way to Qatar, £150 for each ticket, £800 for flights and the tickets have disappeared.”
A third supporter said that “there were no official announcements,” adding: “the greatest football show on earth? Brilliant.”
FIFA did release a statement on Monday afternoon that said: "Some spectators are currently experiencing an issue with accessing their tickets via the FIFA Ticketing app. FIFA is working on solving the issue. We thank fans for their understanding as we work to fix the issue as soon as possible. "
Forty-eight hours later and no resolution has been found.
