[lfc-news] Kop ticket fiasco blights Anfield's season opener - Post

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Liverpool Daily Post, 22 Aug 2005
Kop ticket fiasco blights Anfield's season opener
By Liam Murphy, Daily Post Staff

LIVERPOOL FC has promised fans it will do everything in its power to
iron out the "technical problems" which blighted its first home game of
the season on Saturday.

Thousands of fans were still queuing outside the Kop end of the ground
as the 3pm kick-off time approached. The game eventually had to be
delayed by more than 15 minutes.

The club blamed problems with the new automated entry system recently
installed in the Kop which developed teething difficulties as supporters
waited to get in.

The new swipe card system requires season ticket holders to enter via
particular turnstiles and it appears a combination of confusion over
where fans should go added to the technical problems left fans stuck
outside Anfield with kick-off rapidly approaching.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said any decision to delay kick-off in
these circumstances is made in consultation with the club, referee and
officers involved in policing matches. "It's a complex issue," he added..

The match finally got underway just after 3.15pm, and an announcement at
half time told fans: "We apologise for the delay in today's kick-off. It
was due to technical problems in the entry system to the Kop end of the
ground.

"We will do everything in our power to rectify the problems before the
next home game."

Phil Roberts, from Allerton, was one of the fans left waiting outside.

He said: "I had got there by 2.45pm and there were thousands of people
trying to get in. It was chaos. Lots of people were worried they would
miss the start of the match.

"A few people were losing their temper and there were a few scuffles.
People were going to the wrong gates and having to turn back and find
the right one to get in by."

Liverpool FC spokesman Ian Cotton last night said they were confident
the problem would be resolved by the time of the next Premiership home
match.

He said: "There were teething problems with the swipe card system in the
Kop.

"When we saw the amount of people outside, we had to take the immediate
decision to delay the game for 15 minutes. That decision was taken with
the relevant authorities."

The spokesman said the problem should not affect tomorrow's game with
CSKA Sofia because a different ticketing system is used for European
matches, and added: "We can only apologise for the problem and thank
fans for their patience."

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