Football fans were left feeling frustrated after they paid to watch England take on USA at a venue in Newcastle and the screen went off multiple times.
Hundreds of people gathered inside the NX, formally the o2 academy on Westgate Road, on Friday night to watch England's second group game of the 2022 World Cup. However technical issues led to the screen going off and they missed around half of the second half.
Video footage shows the big screen inside the venue failing to work and the wrong channel being put on when it was fixed. Fans can be heard airing their frustrations and chanting "We want our money back".
Read more: Tense scenes as football fans watch England vs USA World Cup action from NX Newcastle
Tickets to attend the fan-zone, which had been set up inside the NX, are understood to have reportedly cost between £10 and £15.
One of those who attended the venue was Newcastle United YouTuber Adam Pearson. The 21-year-old created a video on his channel in which he described it as a "complete failure" and the worst football experience he has ever had at any event.
He told Chronicle Live: "I want to be fair and show the event for what it was and why it went wrong."
Adam, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, said that the screen was off during the interval and around 20 minutes of the second half. He said that, when it was on, the audio appeared to be out of sync.
He said: "The screen was off in the second half for around 20 minutes. They would get it back on a couple of times but it wasn't on for long. People who were there were upset, they were wanting refunds.
"In the second half it was getting very toxic and a lot of people were chucking beers. People were getting up, going on the stage and stealing the World Cup trophy and then bouncers were getting involved. It was very hostile. The longer the game wasn't on the worse it got.
"It was so, so unorganised. You could tell they haven't prepared for it properly. There was no back up plan. There was nothing in place if anything like this happened. The overall experience was just terrible."
Following the event, NX issued a statement in which they apologised for the technical issues.
The statement said: "We are very disappointed with the technical problems experienced tonight with the FAN-ZONE event. We are now 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 or delivering sports events in the city. We will provide an update regarding ticket refunds shortly."
A Box to Box Spokesperson, said: “Super disappointed about the technical issues last night everyone. We’ve rectified that annoying lag and the screen is bigger and better, and will actually work!!
"Big love to NX for all their support and love. We won’t let you down again everyone and we’re sorry. Come on England. We go again. Big guest announcement coming soon.”
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