The message to fans wanting to attend Asian Cup matches "is to get to the ground early or pre-purchase tickets following farcical scenes outside AAMI Park before and during the Iran-Bahrain match on Sunday night," according to Ronny Lerner of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Punters "were forced to wait as long as 45 minutes in huge queues to buy their tickets at the ground" and some could not enter the gates until halftime as the "understaffed booths struggled to cope with demand." It "was a scenario that left a sour taste in the mouths of many" but Asian Cup Government Relations & Communications Manager Alison Hill said that "a simple and unfortunate combination of factors had led to the chaos." Hill said, "It was one of those situations where there was certainly more walk-ups than we expected, it was a beautiful Melbourne night, people decided to come along and so there were longer queues because of the fact that there's no general admission which usually hurries things through." On top of that advice to fans, Hill said that "a strategy had already been put in place for the next match at AAMI Park on Wednesday night between North Korea and Saudi Arabia to ensure fans get into the ground quicker." Hill: "There will be extra staff on board, but regardless of how many (ticket) booths you have open, if everyone turns up at the last minute there are going to be queues whether it's at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium or the MCG or any stadium" (SMH, 1/13).
