Sport
Qatar declare massive attendances despite thousands of empty seats and stadium capacity
You might want to check your numbers there, chief.
Qatar has announced some rather questionable attendance figures following the opening games of the 2022 World Cup, as it’s clear that whoever’s done the totting up doesn’t understand maths.
The Gulf state confirmed their final attendance figures for the inaugural match between the host nation and winners Ecuador, professing that 67,372 people poured into the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha on Friday.
However, that would be quite an achievement considering the maximum capacity of 60,000. Hmmm…
Regardless of whatever Qatar are claiming to be their official numbers, it was clearly visible to anyone with eyes that thousands of seats were left empty during the game and even more so after half-time.
Countless numbers were seen flooding out of the stadium after the home side conceded two goals in the opening 31 minutes — well, three if you count the speculative offside call that saw Enner Valencia’s tournament-opening goal ruled out. He should have had a hat trick.
As if that wasn’t enough, Qatar also looked to have fudged the numbers for England‘s 6-1 win against Iran on Monday, stating that the total attendance was 45,334. However, once again, this clearly isn’t an accurate number given the stadium can only hold a max of 40,000.
In fact, it would seem that they’ve pretty much exceeded the stadium limit with every single match attendance so far:
- Qatar vs Ecuador – 67,372 (Stadium capacity: 60,000)
- England vs Iran – 45,334 (Stadium capacity: 40,000)
- Senegal vs Netherlands – 41,721 (Stadium capacity: 40,000)
- USA vs Wales – 43,418 (Stadium capacity: 40,000)
Despite a clear effort to stretch the truth when it comes to attendances, journalist Melissa Reddy also highlighted other fan struggles, telling Sky Sports that many fans could not access the stadium due to problems with the ticketing app and were being advised to arrive as early as four hours before kick-off.
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As she went on to explain, the “mixed crowd” that did turn up – even if they were part of the mass exodus or not – “weren’t really interested” in the game and it was clear that many didn’t have an allegiance to either team.
Qatar has already been accused of paying ‘fake fans‘ to come and pose as supporters of various nations both inside the stadiums and parading outside the grounds.
While FIFA has denied the claims, with president Gianni Infantino suggesting that the allegations reflect the “racism” underlying much of the debate surrounding Qatar 2022, it’s clear
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Featured Image — BBC Sport/Palácio do Planalto (via Flickr)
Sport
Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
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That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)
Sport
Manchester Storm game postponed just one week after AO Arena return due to ‘technical issue with the ice’
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Storm’s second game back at the AO Arena had to be postponed over the weekend due to a ‘technical issue with the ice’.
The ice hockey team made a record-breaking return to the venue earlier this month, attracting some 11,000 fans to watch their match against Sheffield Steelers.
But just one week later, as Manchester Storm prepared to face off against The Nottingham Panthers, the game had to be postponed.
Fans were already inside the legendary venue when a ‘technical issue with the ice’ became apparent and the game was called off.
Manchester Storm and the AO Arena said they ‘sincerely apologise’ to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption.
The game has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 14 October, with tickets valid for the new fixture.
The full statement read: “Unfortunately today’s Manchester Storm game vs The Nottingham Panthers has been suspended due to a technical issue with the ice.
“We sincerely apologise to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption and would like to thank everyone in attendance for their patience.
“We advise attendees to retain their tickets which will remain valid for the rescheduled fixture.
“Those with single-game tickets for this game and seeking a refund are advised to contact their point of purchase.
“The rescheduled game will take place on Wednesday 14th October 2026.
“Manchester Storm and AO Arena would like to thank attendees for their understanding.”
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Featured image: Supplied
Danny Jones -
22nd November 2022 
