Sunderland AFC gives away free beer to Newcastle fans

A technical error meant Newcastle fans got double the winnings against bitter rivals Sunderland when they received free beer at The Stadium of Light on Saturday. 

The incident occurred on Saturday lunchtime during the much-anticipated derby between the rival teams in the third round of the FA Cup. Following the match, there was a two hour delay before the away fans could leave, and as a result many fans headed to the bar.

But Newcastle’s Toon Army needed not fear, as bar staff at the stadium had anticipated a glut of orders following the final whistle.

The Times claims that Sunderland bar staff had begun to pour pints in anticipation at being swamped by joyous Newcastle fans (the team won the match 2-0) but unfortunately, a technical issue meant that card readers lost their WiFi connection.

As a result, the staff had no option but to give free pints away, as they had no method to sell the pints and would have had to simply throw them away.

Fans tweeted their delight, with one taking to social media to state: “The best bit for me was when the card machines went off and we were given free pints. Made up for the fact we had to wait two hours to get out of the ground.”

There was also criticism that hospitality bars had been changed to accommodate Newcastle fans.

Slogans for the Toon Army were placed on the walls of a £600-a-head hospitality facility within the Stadium of Light, such as “We Are United” and “Cheer Up Peter Reid”, which resulted in chairman of the football club, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus apologising.

Former Sunderland star Marco Gabbiadini described the move as “embarrassing” and it would be “mentioned by Newcastle fans in 50 years.”

It followed another major issue when both teams fielded white and coloured-stripe jerseys, making it very difficult to tell the two teams apart while watching the match.