Organizations for World Rugby and the Rugby World Cup have expressed regret to fans following the disorderly scenes outside the Stade de Marseille prior to Saturday’s match between England and Argentina.
Due to a lack of turnstiles and entry points, low staffing levels, and thorough security checks, thousands of spectators were unable to attend the start of the Pool D opener.
The England vs. Argentina game doesn’t start.
Although there were no incidents and all 63,118 seats were eventually filled, many supporters were worried for their safety due to the possibility of an escalation in the situation.
In a statement, World Rugby said, “Fans are the lifeblood of the competition, and we would like to apologize to fans impacted by yesterday’s access challenges.”.
For everyone traveling to Marseille for the Rugby World Cup in 2023, we are making every effort to improve the experience.
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On September 10, the second game of Pool B takes place at the same site between South Africa and Scotland.
According to the organizers, there will now be more entry assistance volunteers on hand, as well as more announcements on public transportation that include English.
To prevent a repeat of the circumstances leading up to England’s 27-10 victory over Argentina, additional steps will also be taken.
Although there were no reports of incidents, as was already mentioned, many supporters were concerned about what might happen if the crushes got worse.
Before the game, Times Sport reporter Will Kelleher posted this clip on Twitter with the caption: “This is the scene outside the Stade Vélodrome as thousands of fans try to make kickoff.
awfully disgusting to look at.
“.
Tim Chamberlain, an England supporter, said, “There was an overwhelming number of people when we got out of the station at the stadium as there are just two entry points.”.
Turnstiles and employees seemed to be in short supply.
It was extremely hot as we stood in the commotion for 45 minutes.
“You could tell when we entered that it was potentially dangerous, and there were occasionally tense crowd surges, but overall, people were pretty polite.
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For the caliber of the opening ceremony and the anthems played before each game, the Rugby World Cup organizers have also drawn criticism.