The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon has slammed the club for a major administrative error at Southampton during the club’s most recent league fixture.
The Saints managed a 1-1 draw at home against Manchester United as St. Mary’s welcomed in a home Premier League crowd for the first time in roughly 16 months.
However, a mass issue with ticketing marred the occasion for a number of supporters, who missed the start of the game due to faulty technology at the turnstiles.
The club have officially apologised for the incident and have offered a refund to all general admission ticket holders.
Despite this compensation, Sheldon has criticised the error while talking on the Total Saints Podcast: “It’s an embarrassment, and it’s a shambles. I don’t think you can kind of cover it up in any kind of way. I don’t think there’s any excuses for it.
“The club have come out, they’ve put their hands up and accepted that, ‘yep, we’ve messed up’ and that’s the bare minimum. I think refunds are – that’s the sort of bare minimum as to what they can do.”
TIF Thoughts on Southampton and their ticketing issues…
To go so long without crowds in stadiums and then to have something like this happen when they finally come back really is poor. It’s no surprise that Sheldon hasn’t held back with his criticism of the club.
Oddly enough, Liverpool also reportedly suffered problems with their ticketing turnstiles this season. Ahead of their game against Burnley, issues with the NFC technology also disrupted fan entry to Anfield.
With only one point from their first two league games, Saints staff and fans alike will be hoping this administrative issue isn’t foreshadowing for a complicated season ahead.