LONDON (AP) — Ticketmaster has apologized and offered partial refund credits to NFL fans who had trouble entering Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Vikings-Browns game.
Minnesota rallied for a 21-17 victory over Cleveland on Sunday, after some fans waited in long lines to enter the stadium before kickoff.
Ticketmaster posted a credit worth 50% of the face value of the ticket to the account holders for what it described as “a ticketing issue.” It was unclear how many fans were affected.
Fans complained that they had trouble accessing their tickets on NFL OnePass app, which is “powered by Ticketmaster,” according to the league's mobile ticketing guide.
“The experience fell short of our standards and the service we aim to deliver on behalf of the NFL,” Ticketmaster told fans in an email, a copy of which was released by the NFL.
A second email said the credit can either be applied toward tickets for this Sunday’s game at Tottenham between the Denver Broncos face the New York Jets, or “it will be converted into a Ticketmaster gift card ... You’ll be able to use this gift card across our site for future events.”
Neither Ticketmaster nor the NFL commented on the number of fans affected. Attendance on Sunday was just below capacity at 61,082 and the crowd at kickoff appeared on par with prior games.
“The operation to safely admit ticket holders was fully coordinated with NFL and Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium operations team,” the NFL and Ticketmaster said in identical statements. "Ticketmaster, the NFL and Tottenham Hotspur were able to verify ticket holders using a secondary form of verification.
“The situation was addressed as efficiently as possible and all fans entered the stadium safely.”
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Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers runs onto the field for the warm-up ahead of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Vikings supporters wait for the start of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
A general view of the field with the British and United States flags before an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ant Upton)
PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court. It reached a dramatic peak Friday night, and the heated exchange between them stirred all the elements that make their match-ups must-see TV.
Auriemma said it started at the beginning of the game, but the ending is what everyone will talk about.
A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the waning seconds of South Carolina's 62-48 victory over his UConn team in the Final Four and appeared to chastise her before the two shook hands. Staley responded with “don't do that" while assistant coaches from both teams separated them.
Auriemma later said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused.
“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened. “But I’m going to let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.
“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
The Gamecocks will play UCLA in their third straight title game on Sunday, but not everyone was willing to move on from the exchange so quickly.
Auriemma immediately left the court without shaking hands when the game ended, and the moment quickly spread on social media.
Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a former Olympic teammate of Staley, posted on X: “It’s a real shame that #Geno took the low road! We have all had to lose with class! Geno of the @UConnWBB needs to start with an apology!!!”
There were no apologies Friday night, but Auriemma explained why he was frustrated.
“For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker.
“I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”
Auriemma and Staley have been the gold standard in women's basketball for years, and their battle for supremacy has produced some of the most thrilling moments in women's college basketball over the last decade.
They've coached some of the greatest talent in the game. They have a combined 15 national championships and nearly 2,000 wins with their respective programs, and their teams have faced each other 15 times.
Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complementing each others' successes and importance to the women's game. They sparked conversations in 2023 when Staley defended her team after Auriemma criticized the Gamecocks' physicality — but their rivalry had never boiled over in the way it did on Friday.
Auriemma ripped the officiating in the third after the Gamecocks were not whistled for a foul in the quarter. He continued to voice his displeasure with how Staley spoke to the refs in his postgame press conference.
“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it.”
Staley did not want to talk about the exchange in her postgame news conference.
“You can ask Geno the question,” she said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, right, yells at UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, left, after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
