Manchester United responded to supporters who were left in a frenzy ahead of Monday’s defeat to Everton after a long delay at Old Trafford. Wicket management is currently under scrutiny after many fans missed the start of the Premier League match against the Toffees. The hold-up is believed to be due in part to extensive searches by stewards and the switch to NFC (near field communication) technology for stadium entry.
There were numerous reports of difficulties for fans accessing the Stretford End. Season ticket holder Graham Barton told the Manchester Evening News that Monday’s delays were the worst he had ever experienced. “This has been happening for a number of years now, since the Manchester bombings. We are screened before we go in, but this year the entrance through the turnstiles has changed. We now have to use NFC technology rather than barcodes on mobile phones.”
“That slowed me down a little bit, but the problem is I’m in W11 and there are four turnstiles and you’re fenced off when you queue. There are six stewards searching and they’re usually very slow.”
“So you get a big queue, and by the time that queue gets to the wall, the chief steward tells you to search faster, so the search isn’t enough anyway and you end up with a huge queue.”
“It’s a safety risk because you don’t need anything to get to that point. When I got there, it was the longest line ever and it went right back to the wall.”
United have since responded to fans’ concerns about delays at the turnstiles.
A club spokesperson said: “We understand the frustration of fans queuing close to kick-off and are constantly looking at ways to improve flow, including deploying additional management staff to deal with issues causing hold-ups at turnstiles.”
“However, in general, digital ticket sales are working well and there were no system issues reported last night.
“The best way to avoid queues is to arrive at the stadium well in advance of kick-off. However, we understand that this may be more difficult for weekday matches and that many fans were affected by traffic congestion around the ground last night.”
The club also faced criticism from supporters who experienced difficulties at the turnstiles before the opening match of the season against Arsenal.
United will introduce a new ticket system for all fans for the 2025/26 season, with supporters required to enter Old Trafford using NFC technology.
All tickets are now digital and can be downloaded to your smartphone and scanned at the turnstiles for entry. However, chaos erupted before the Arsenal match, leaving hundreds of fans unable to access and being directed to the ticket office by stewards who were unprepared for the situation.
It was reported that some stewards at the turnstiles did not know how to resolve the issue and sent fans to the ticket booth, causing fans to miss the start of the match.
One supporter labeled Arsenal’s postponement a “disgrace”, while another claimed his 77-year-old mother, a platinum season ticket holder, had missed the match because of the changes.
