The 42

THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Ireland have today apologised to Irish supporters for an email claiming “excessive alcohol and substance intake” contributed to long delays accessing the stadium in Amsterdam for last November’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Netherlands. 

Many Irish fans experienced delays accessing the Johan Cruijff ArenA last November, with some not able to take their seats until midway through the first half, by which stage the game’s only goal had been scored. 

The FAI sought feedback from supporters as to what caused the delays, and received reports from the Dutch FA [KNVB], the FAI’s supporter liaison officer, and the FAI’s safety and security team. 

An email was sent to some Irish supporters yesterday to explain some of the reasons that contributed to the delays accessing the stadium. The email, sent by FAI Customer Relations and seen by The 42, said issues were caused by access management and inadequate signage at the stadium. 

The email states that “several” Irish supporters tried to get in without a valid ticket, while several had issues with the ticket scanning mechanism, where they were unable to locate the ticket on their phone, or had already scanned it. 

The email continues, “This also seems to have been exasperated [sic] in some instances by excessive alcohol/substance intake. Many fans presented in a concerning manner with some unable to operate their phones to access tickets.” 

Other identified issues were alleged late arrivals of Irish fans – the email states only 50% of the Irish ticketholders were present two minutes before kick-off – along with confusion between signage intended for Ajax home games and the Irish game and “a very thorough search procedure”, 

The email caused annoyance among some Irish supporters, with Irish fan group You Boys in Green sharing the email on social media today, saying “FAI pointing the finger of blame at their own supporters for problems getting into match v Netherlands last November.” 

The FAI subsequently issued a statement apologising for the references to Irish fan behaviour. 

“The email referenced elements of feedback from the night with a number of sections of the feedback contested, in particular relating to alleged fan behaviour,” read the FAI statement. 

“There were a number of issues accessing the stadium which the FAI highlighted to the KNVB with many supporters delayed gaining entry ahead of kick-off. Information was gathered following interactions with the KNVB and insight from our Supporter Liaison Officer, with the findings outlining multiple reasons for the issues that occurred before the game. This included a thorough, but as a result, slow security search on entry, a lack of clear signage, issues with access, as well as complications with ticket scanning.

“The FAI has expressed disappointment in how certain aspects of the match-day operation affected the Irish supporters, and the FAI will continue to work with UEFA and opposing nations ahead of all upcoming away fixtures to ensure the safety of our supporters and to provide all the support we can.

“The FAI would like to apologise for any offence caused to our supporters regarding the response in question but also wants to stress, once again, the excellent behaviour and patience of our supporters during this game and our away games in general.” 

Irish supporters faced a dangerous situation accessing the stadium for last June’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Greece in Athens. 

In an annual report released today, Uefa confirmed FAI president Paul Cooke is a member of their Stadium and Security Committee. The chairman of that committee is Dutch FA president, Michael van Praag. 

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