Hundreds of fans report ticket woes for second day

HANDWRITTEN paper tickets were given to some fans to enter a World Cup game on Tuesday as hundreds more in Qatar struggled to retrieve their digital passes amid problems with FIFA’S mobile application for a second day.

The Associated Press witnessed a FIFA staffer writing out replacement tickets from a white paper in an attempt to help fans waiting in line outside the France versus Australia match about 40 minutes before the start in Al Wakrah.

Other fans were advised to show security staff their emails from FIFA confirming a ticket purchase and seat number in order to get in Al Janoub Stadium ahead of kickoff. The line had consistently been about 100 people long since two hours before the game.

FIFA acknowledged “alternative solutions being provided” to get all ticket holders into stadiums.

The process at Al Janoub was handled calmly and few if any fans seemed likely to miss the start of the game that saw 2018 champion France begin defence of their title.

A second day of glitches and unwanted tension for fans began with a line of distressed fans snaked outside the main ticketing help desk in Doha.

Many reported that their tickets had abruptly disappeared from their phones and could not be retrieved – a glitch that caused hundreds to miss the start of England’s match against Iran on Monday.

In front of a sign marked “Ticket Resolution Point” at a convention centre in central Doha, fans swapped stories of ticket troubles and showed volunteers error messages on their mobile apps.