Fears are growing over the threat of violence among rival fans at World Cup matches amid claims FIFA has ‘lost control of their ticketing’.
It comes after footage seemingly showing Iran and New Zealand fans brawling at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles after their team’s 2-2 draw.
Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters Europe, has claimed FIFA has put fans at ‘risk’ by failing to ensure rival fans are segregated. Traditionally, matches are played with fans unable to mingle.
Evain told BBC Sport: ‘The absence of segregation is not normal for a tournament like this.
‘What is worrying is that FIFA doesn’t really know who has tickets here and there… by pushing so much for people to buy tickets and re-sell them.
‘So the possibility – or the risk – to have fans from ‘Team A’ in the middle of the crowd of ‘Team B’ is stronger than ever before.’
Netherlands and Japan fans sat together at their game but there were no reports of violence
Iran and New Zealand fans were filmed fighting after their game in Los Angeles on Monday
FIFA has responded by highlighting that a certain amount of tickets for each match – eight per cent – are ring-fenced to fans from the nations taking part.
Footage emerged on social media of a brawl allegedly taking place inside the lavish Los Angeles stadium after the 2-2 draw between Iran and New Zealand on Monday.
The footage, taken from the stands, shows rival fans exchanging blows and pushes on the steps in the lower tier of the stadium in front of stunned onlookers.
One of the men involved appeared to be wearing a white shirt with the Iranian pre-revolutionary flag emblazoned on it.
Police finally arrived at the scene after a few moments and broke the fight up. It remains unclear what started the fracas.
‘I don’t know if there are mitigation measures in place, but the risk does exist,’ Evain continued.
‘Hopefully this kind of situation can be solved by just switching tickets and people moving from one section to another. But there is very little that FIFA can do at this stage because they don’t know who owns their tickets.
‘It’s an additional risk, and I don’t think it’s been taken into consideration.
‘There’s so many tickets on the resale platforms – FIFA has zero control with what’s happening with these tickets. It’s hard to tell what will be the behaviour of the people that control these tickets.’
A fan wearing a Lionel Messi shirt throws punches at Algerian fans in Times Square
Violent clashes broke out ahead of the two countries facing off in Kansas City on Tuesday
Argentina and Algeria fans also clashed in Times Square on Monday night as World Cup fever turned ugly in the heart of New York City.
The two countries will face off over 1,000 miles away in Kansas City later on Tuesday, but those who cannot attend the game flooded to Midtown Manhattan instead.
With 24 hours to go before the game, the two countries clashed earlier than planned, with a barrage of punches thrown by both sets of fans in unsavory scenes.
It comes after the chaos engulfing Iran’s World Cup campaign escalated on Tuesday after the team said winger Mehdi Torabi’s visa had expired in the wake of their opening game against New Zealand.
A spokesperson for the team said that while ‘multiple-entry visas’ were issued to players to travel to the United States, Torabi’s visa was ‘valid for just one entry.’
Following his trip to Los Angeles to face New Zealand, that visa is said to now have run out. Torabi was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw.
‘The Iran Football Federation has taken action to obtain a new visa for Torabi so that he can continue to accompany the national team in its upcoming matches,’ a spokesperson continued.
Iran faces Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 21, before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
