Australian NRL rugby league club the Penrith Panthers has apologised to the Cronulla Sharks after an administrative error led to the families of their opponents’ players’ receiving the wrong tickets for the weekend game.
Tickets for the Easter Sunday clash were sent out a month ago, with almost double the usual number of tickets provided to opposition teams. However, the mass of tickets meant the Sharks’ families were stuck up on the hill at Pepper Stadium, rather than in their usual premium grandstand seating.
Only three days before the game did the Sharks discover the mistake, but the Panthers had already sold out their grandstand allocation.
The Panthers maintain it was not an act of disrespect, but a simple clerical error and have moved to make amends with the disgruntled Sharks.
Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher said: “We sent the wrong envelope out and they didn’t open it until three days prior to the game to give to their wives and families.
“Nobody does this stuff on purpose. We respect them. I’ll ring up on Tuesday and apologise.
“We didn’t set out to do this intentionally. It’s just a pity – there aren’t many games you have all the seats sold under the grandstand. It’s a good thing to happen as a club, but obviously we apologise for our mistake. It was nothing sinister. We wouldn’t do that. We look after other clubs better than anybody.”
The saving grace for the Sharks’ families was that their team claimed a 28-2 victory.
Share this