Thousands of Chelsea supporters found themselves stuck in lengthy queues outside Stamford Bridge as a technical malfunction with the club's new digital ticketing system prevented entry ahead of their Premier League season opener.
The disruption began at 12:30pm on Sunday, leaving fans unable to access the stadium for their highly anticipated match against Crystal Palace.
Chelsea acknowledged the disruption in an official statement, expressing regret to affected supporters.
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Chelsea fans were left stranded outside Stamford Bridge after the ticket system failed
|PA
"The club is aware there were some issues with the ticketing system for approximately 30 minutes, between 12.30pm and 1pm, before today's Premier League match against Crystal Palace," the statement read.
The club pledged to prevent future occurrences, adding: "We will do everything we can to ensure this does not happen again.
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"We apologise to supporters who were affected by this and thank them for their patience."
Videos shared across social media platforms showed extensive lines of frustrated supporters waiting outside the ground, with the 2pm kick-off approaching.
The technical failure lasted approximately half an hour, creating significant congestion at the stadium entrances as the electronic ticketing system ceased functioning properly.
The problems occurred during a crucial 30-minute window between 12:30pm and 1pm, according to an official statement from Chelsea.
Despite the disruption, the club confirmed that every ticketed supporter eventually gained entry to the stadium before the match commenced.
The timing proved particularly problematic as supporters attempted to arrive early for Enzo Maresca's first competitive home match as manager.
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Chelsea fans were left disappointed when they turned up to Stamford Bridge
|Reuters
The Blues were preparing to showcase their extensively rebuilt squad, having made eleven new signings during the summer transfer window.
The incident affected what should have been a celebratory atmosphere, with Chelsea entering the new campaign as champions of the revamped Club World Cup.
The malfunction involved Chelsea's recently implemented digital ticketing scheme, which replaced all physical tickets for home matches at Stamford Bridge this season.
The system's debut for a major fixture prompted widespread criticism from supporters on social media. One frustrated fan posted: "Only Chelsea could bring in a new ticket system and f*** it up on day one."
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Another supporter highlighted broader concerns: "The Chelsea digital ticket system has crashed on the first time of using! Only away fans mainly in. The queues outside are horrendous for home game."
Several fans questioned the preparation process, with one noting: "Using pre-season games as your tests for digital tickets was never gonna work because a LOT of ST holders/members are never going to those."
The club had previously advised supporters to arrive at least an hour before kick-off when using the new system.