Manchester City fans face delay after Etihad stadium entry issues

Hundreds of football fans were stuck in long queues outside Manchester City’s first home game of the new Premier League season following ticketing issues.

In a statement, the club said they were “aware of extended wait times” and were “working to get all ticketholders inside as quickly as possible” as the game with Tottenham kicked off at 12:30 BST.

Images on social media showed hundreds of fans waiting outside the Etihad stadium shortly before the match against Tottenham Hotspur began.

Shaun Fogarty, who was queuing outside, told the BBC that he and his partner arrived an hour earlier but Android users had difficulties gaining access with their mobile tickets.

He called it an “absolute shambles”, adding he had “never known such a pig’s ear made of it”.

Mr Fogarty said all of those stuck outside were eventually let into the stadium en masse about 10 minutes before kick-off.

On the x platform, the club’s official support team said: “We are aware of extended wait times for fans queuing at Fan Support and we are working to get all ticketholders inside as quickly as possible.

“We thank you for your cooperation during this time.”

City recently added new screens to scan mobile tickets at their turnstiles but previously said it should not affect fans’ entry to the stadium.

The tickets use a contactless form of technology that is enabled by default on most Apple devices but require a switch-on for Android devices.

The BBC has asked the club for a response.