fans ‘turned away froM city pubs for wearing wales shirts’:
FANS celebrating Wales’ stunning victory over Austria claimed they were turned away by pubs in Cardiff because they were wearing their country’s football shirt.
There was a party atmosphere in the capital on Saturday evening after young Liverpool striker Ben Woodburn scored on his debut to keep Wales’ chances of qualifying for the World Cup alive.
But a number of fans looking to celebrate their team’s victory were left out in the cold after they claimed they were refused entry to pubs in the city centre because they were wearing Wales football shirts.
Steffan Jones, 32, from New Quay in Ceredigion, watched the match at the Cardiff City Stadium with four friends and went to the Gatekeeper on Westgate Street after the game.
He said they all arrived at the pub at different times but that bouncers told all of them that they were not allowed in because they were wearing football shirts.
Mr Jones said: “We went to the Gatekeeper after the game and the bouncer said they weren’t letting in anyone wearing a football shirt.
“One of us was wearing a jacket and you couldn’t even see his shirt, but the bouncer said he still couldn’t come in because he was wearing a football shirt. The place was empty and we were all refused entry. It wasn’t just us. There was a lot of people given the same treatment.”
His friend Bleddyn Davies, 31, from Cardiff Bay, said: “Loads of people were being refused entry and it had nothing to do with being drunk. We’d just walked from the stadium and were sober. It’s ridiculous when you think how many people are in there in rugby shirts when the rugby is on.”
A spokesman for Wetherspoon, which owns the Gatekeeper, denied that this was the case. He said: “The Gatekeeper does allow people in wearing football tops and this was the case for the Wales versus Austria game. Some people wearing football tops were refused entry on grounds of behaviour and not because they were wearing a football top.
“The pub was busy all day and included many customers wearing football tops.”
The Yard on St Mary Street was also accused of refusing entry to people wearing football shirts.
Writing on Twitter, Iestyn Roberts said: “Refused entry to Yard – no football shirts said the doorman.”
The Yard said they did have a policy regarding sportswear but that this was not just for football shirts.
A spokesman said: “We had lots of Welsh fans in jerseys and tops before and during the game but every weekend after 10pm no sportswear is allowed. People aren’t allowed to come in in tracksuits or any kind of sportswear.”