England fans fury as Rugby World Cup venues in France run out of beer mid-game


England fans had to be quick off the mark to get a beer inside Stade de Marseille – Andrew Matthews/PA

Rugby fans have slammed “shambolic” food-and-drink service at World Cup venues across France, with many claiming that stadiums are running out of beer mid-match.

Telegraph Sport has been contacted by supporters of both France and England who highlighted that long queues, beer shortages and incompetent staff had soured the enjoyment of watching their teams win at the Stade de France and Stade de Marseille, respectively, this weekend.

The news comes in the aftermath of disturbing scenes in Marseille for England’s victory over Argentina on Saturday night, with World Rugby launching an investigation after supporters queued for over an hour to get through the gates and reach their seats.

The situation did not improve once fans were inside the stadium, however, with complaints about a shortage of beer stretching from Marseille up to Paris. Tournament organisers have been approached for comment, with World Rugby denying that any venue ran out of beer after Telegraph Sport was also approached by French fans about a similar debacle in Saint-Denis on Friday night.

“I queued for 10 minutes on three different occasions during the match but was unsuccessful in procuring a beer,” said Jamie Patrick, 31, from the Stade de Marseille. “I didn’t even get close to the bar.

“Eighty per cent of what was coming out of every bar keg was froth, so they were having to pour four beers just to serve one pint.

“At one stage two girls who were working behind the bar became so stressed by it all they just shut up shop. They stood on top of the bar, started pulling down the iron meshes that made up the barrier to the bar, realised that they couldn’t pull them all the way down, simply climbed across the bar, gave up and went home. It was unbelievable; one of the worst I’ve experienced. I was fuming.”

Ollie Smith, a 29-year-old England fan present in Marseille, added: “Not crushing fans and not running out of beer are basically where you start when you plan these things.”

“I had queued for ages and got to the front of the beer queue just after half-time and the bar staff just said, ‘c’est fini, c’est fini’,” said Aidan Graham, 28, at the Stade Vélodrome. “A shambles.”

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