A large group of Wales fans were reportedly left stranded at Dubai airport and unable to reach Qatar in time for their second World Cup 2022 game against Iran.
Rob Page’s side face the Iranians in a crucial Group B game in Doha on Friday, after drawing their opener 1-1 against the USA.
However, BBC reporter Eleri Sion tweeted that 78 Welsh fans were turned away from a flight to Qatar in Dubai airport.
@WeAreFSACymru We are at Dubai airport and 78 @faw fans have been turned away and will not be going to today’s game! @BBCRadioWales @BBCRadioCymru This is an absolute nightmare for people who gained entry to Qatar for the USA game but not today as their Hayya cards are pending!November 25, 2022
The issue was that their Hayya cards, a permit required to enter the Middle Eastern state, weren’t accepted due to a “glitch in the system”.
Permits were still coming up as pending on an app, leaving them unable to board flights.
One fan told the BBC: "We got up at 02:30 this morning to travel in a taxi to the airport for a 06:30 flight, but when we got there we were told by officials that our Hayya cards had been rejected.
"It's hellish - there were 13 of us from Wales on that flight having the same issue and trying to prove that we had been approved to travel, even though the app still said the permit was pending.
"People have had emails saying that their cards were valid, only to find when they get to the airport that they have been refused entry".
