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Thousands of fans were left stuck in crushes while trying to get into the Stade Velodrome for England's opening clash with Argentina in the Rugby World Cup.
Countless supporters could be seen squashed together in chaotic scenes in Marseille, less than 40 minutes before the Pool D encounter kicked off.
And the incident was an alarming echo of what happened ahead of the 2022 Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Last night's problems appeared to surround security checks at certain gates.
READ MORE: England rugby star facing calls to be banned for six months on eve of World Cup
Some of those caught up in the shambles took to social media to make it clear they had arrived at the stadium almost two hours before kick off – but were left in danger of missing the game.
One England fan said: "It was an abject disaster. No signage. No people to direct – 67,000 people funnelled through a single staircase. Elbows everywhere. And then when you get inside, the sections are poorly labelled. We found ours by accident."
Despite there being swathes of empty seats inside the stadium – tournament organisers refused to push back the start of the match.
French authorities could now face a fresh investigation into their organisation and stewardship of a major sporting event.
European football's showpiece game in the French capital became one of the most infamous in living memory after descending into chaos.
On that occasion French police used tear gas and pepper spray on Liverpool supporters.
England's rugby team will be aiming for glory in France, with Umbro supplying their kits for the tournament. It is the first time that the supplier have been handed the chance to produce the kits, with a traditional white home shirt emblazoned with the iconic red rose.
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UEFA later defended the actions of police, while French political figures accused fans of disorderly conduct and having thousands of fake tickets – despite those claims later proving to be unfounded.
The game kicked off 36 minutes late, while there were dozens of arrests and hundreds of injuries.
A full investigation was held and a report found UEFA responsible for the organisational and safety failures in the run-up to the match – not Liverpool or Madrid fans.
- Rugby World Cup
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