Hundreds of Manchester United fans were forced to miss the opening exchanges of Sunday's game against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Fans were delayed getting into Old Trafford on Sunday.(Image: 2025 Simon Stacpoole/Offside)
Manchester United have investigated how hundreds of supporters struggled to enter the stadium before the clash with Arsenal on Sunday.
United have been criticised by fans who encountered problems at the turnstiles before the opening day fixture. The club has rolled out a new ticketing system for every supporter for 2025/26, meaning fans now enter Old Trafford using NFC (Near Field Communication) technology.
All tickets are digital on a smartphone and downloaded to a device's wallet. The tickets are scanned to gain entry at the turnstiles, but mass confusion occurred before the Arsenal game when hundreds of supporters could not gain entry, and they were sent to the ticketing office by unprepared stewards.
The Manchester Evening News has been told some stewards on the turnstiles sent fans to the ticketing office because they did not know the solution to the problem, forcing fans to miss the start of the game.
United have investigated the issue and are planning to provide additional fan-friendly assistance around Old Trafford on matchdays this season to prevent a repeat.
The club introduced NFC tickets under instruction from the Premier League. United phased the introduction of the NFC tickets over the past year to help fans adapt to the change, but it appears some stewards on the turnstiles were unprepared to assist some supporters with the technology.
The MEN has been told United recognises from the feedback that they must do more to make entry as smooth as possible, although the club claim the NFC system itself "worked well".
United said flow rates were consistent with previous seasons, with 92 per cent of fans inside before kick-off, and 98 per cent of supporters by 16:35, but the supporters who were forced to endure long delays are not happy.
One fan tweeted: "Man Utd ticketing is a disgrace. Thousands of fans queuing at the ticketing office because the new NFC tickets are not working at the turnstiles! 10 minutes to kick off and massive queues everywhere."
Another fan posted on Facebook: "Manchester United excelled themselves today. Gave mum a plaque on her seat as she’s had her season ticket for 25 years, but then wouldn’t let her in.
"Ticket wouldn’t scan despite being downloaded exactly as instructed. And despite another fan helping her to download it again. Man on the turnstile was a useless ‘computer says no’ character and refused to let her in.
"He told my 77-year-old mum, who struggles walking, that she had to go to the ticket office where there was a queue a mile long. And this was after queuing in the car for over an hour to get to the stadium, which we live five miles from.
"She went home. I got to the seats only to find two other people sat in them! Not sure how they’d managed to get in, but I had to kick them out and now mum’s Platinum Season Ticket Holder seat is empty. Well done United. Well done. Hope you’re proud."
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