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Chaos ensues at Newcastle fan zone during England vs USA game as punters demand refunds

Unimaginable levels of stress.

Danny Jones - 28th November 2022

As England’s final game of the group stage looms, we can’t help but feel stressed and apprehensive — especially after seeing what these poor sods in Newcastle had to put up with the last time out.

In a series of viral clips circulated on social media following the England vs USA game, fans watching the match (or at least trying to) at the NX Newcastle music and events space were left in limbo and utterly furious as the venue struggled with audio and video issues throughout the 90 minutes.

Punters resorted to throwing drinks, hopping barriers; shouting abuse at the staff, as well as chanting “we want our money back” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.

Even still, this clip had us absolutely wheezing:

At least someone got a chuckle out of it… Well, mainly us and the rest of football Twitter.

Even despite some more positive pint launching when they eventually got the game on, albeit sarcastic, you can only imagine the sheer frustration expressed by so many who not only chose to watch the game there but also had to pay even just to enter the Newcastle fan zone.

As detailed above, the organisers issued an official statement apologising to fans for “such a disappointing experience”, adding that they are now looking into exactly why the various technical issues occurred. We’d definitely not trust the remote to whoever was holding it on Friday night.

Either way, the damage was already done and hundreds of Geordies were left incensed. I mean, you would be, wouldn’t you?

NX went on to assure that further information regarding refunds would be shared and seemed to intimate that the lion’s share of the blame lies with the promoter Box 2 Box, who despite having a “long-standing track record of delivering sports events” clearly fell desperately short of the mark on the night.

We also resisted the urge to make a ‘they didn’t miss anything’ joke given the disappointing 0-0 result, as those present were kept in the dark for so long that they didn’t know what was going on in the game.

Moreover, we’re sure they were only further annoyed once they did learn of the score and even when partial coverage did return, they were ultimately forced to watch it without sound. Pain.

Read more:

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• Victoria Warehouse offering free drinks to fans wearing the shirt of an England goalscorer against Wales

We can only sympathise with those unlucky enough to be present for the shambolic screening and pray nobody else suffers the same for the England vs Wales game on Tuesday, as the Three Lions look to secure qualification into the knockout stages of Qatar 2022.

While the promoters have insisted the screen is now fixed and are trying to tempt supporters back with an after-party, we imagine locals will be steering clear of this particular Newcastle fan zone for the rest of the tournament.

To make sure you avoid any similar dramas round this end, it’s probably best you check out our list of the best places to watch the World Cup in Manchester — we’ve given them all the Manc seal of approval.

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Featured Image — Toby Bryant (via Twitter)