Nottingham Forest is issuing refunds to hundreds of fans who were left waiting outside the stadium as their FA Cup tie with Luton Town kicked off. Around 1,300 supporters who were unable to get into the Upper Bridgford stand before 3pm will be given credit notes, Nottinghamshire Live understands.
An “urgent meeting” of club chiefs was called on Monday, January 13 after huge crowds were forced to wait at turnstiles on Saturday due to safety concerns over “persistent and stubborn icy conditions” in the seating section. Some fans said they did not get in until half-time, while others missed most of the first half of the 2-0 win.
They reported standing in the “freezing cold” with little communication from the club, with some forced to urinate in the street. One season ticket holder, who got to his seat 25 minutes into the game, told Nottinghamshire Live: “We were disappointed at the lack of information at the time.
“We thought the turnstile had broken. We now know it was a safety issue so this should have been relayed to the stewards to let us know. The biggest problem at the time was people kept waiting in the line but many were bursting for the loo.”
The supporter said he was yet to receive a refund but said he was “not bothered” given tickets were much cheaper than standard Premier League match prices. “At just £15 for a match ticket compared to £45 normally, I’m not bothered.”
The Upper Bridgford stand was empty shortly before kick off
(Image: Submitted)
Affected fans are expected to receive an email with a credit note which can be used for games or at the club shop. Ticket prices for the Luton Town game ranged from £5 to £25 according to the club’s website.
Forest said in a statement during the game on Saturday: “Despite regular gritting ahead of kick-off, persistent and stubborn icy conditions on the vomitories dictated that a small number of turnstiles providing access to the Upper Bridgford stand had to be closed in the interests of the safety of supporters,” the club said.
“Thankfully the vast majority of fans were inside the stadium within ten minutes of kick-off, but the club wishes to apologise sincerely to those fans who were inconvenienced as a result of this issue. The safety and security of our staff and supporters is our number one priority on matchdays.”
Nottingham Forest are in action against Liverpool at the City Ground later today (Tuesday), with the third-placed Reds hoping to close the gap on the Premier League leaders to just three points.