Nottingham Forest fans faced frustrating delays at the turnstiles for their FA Cup tie against Luton Town, leaving many stranded outside and missing the start of the match.
Nottingham Forest fans have continued to criticize the club after turnstile delays left huge crowds outside at kick-off, with one season ticket holder writing an open letter raising a string of concerns. The club apologized to supporters who were left waiting to enter the ground for Saturday's FA Cup tie against Luton Town (January 11). Some supporters said they did not get in until half-time, while others missed most of the first half of the 2-0 win.
In an official statement, Forest said turnstiles were closed for the Upper Bridgford stand due to safety concerns over 'persistent and stubborn icy conditions'. A senior club official confirmed the matter was being taken “extremely seriously”, particularly due to the freezing conditions, with leaders planning to gather for an urgent meeting on Monday morning. Photos taken by supporters show what appears to be hundreds of people waiting outside as the game kicked off at 3pm. Rob Carlyle, an Upper Bridgford season ticket holder, was among them and joined the chorus of criticism on social media. He shared an open letter on social media which he addressed to a number of senior officials at the club. In the letter, which he shared on X, formerly Twitter, he said he 'witnessed real and justified anger' while waiting with hundreds of other fans for over an hour in the 'freezing cold'. 'Why was no information made available to fans before the event? The club made no welfare provision for those queueing in freezing temperatures. People were compelled to urinate against walls,' he wrote. 'One small, very distressed girl accompanied by her mother was desperate for the toilet and unable to find one.' Mr Carlyle argued the club should have opened the concourse to the supporters. 'Forest is our club. Mr Marinakis urged us to embrace the family spirit of the club. Today fans appear to have been an afterthought and did not feel embraced,' he added. 'This was a poor performance, well below the standards our club should set for itself.' The club said the 'vast majority' of supporters were inside the City Ground within 10 minutes of the 3pm kick-off. '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 apologize 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.' Nuno Espírito Santo's side ran out 2-0 winners in the third round of the cup, thanks to goals from Ryan Yates and Ramón Sosa. NottinghamshireLive has attempted to contact the club for further comment about the concerns raised in the open letter.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST TURNSTILES FANS DELAY SAFETY
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