The Welsh FA (FAW) have promised to pay for the match tickets of all 80 fans making the long trek to Baku in Azerbaijan for their nation’s upcoming World Cup Qualifier. The gesture was made following a series of problems that Wales’ fans encountered in trying to get visas and match tickets for Saturday’s game.

Problems originally stemmed when the Azerbaijan Embassy in London continually gave false information to Welsh fans attempting to apply for visas which resulted in a lot of lost time and money. None of this was caused by the FAW who also experienced similar problems and were even struggling to get visas for their own players and staff until last week.

These issues were eventually resolved only for it to become apparent that the Azeri FA were charging around £20 per ticket to the away fans while home supporters only had to pay one third of this price.

When FSF Cymru became aware of this a complaint was sent on behalf of all fans to the Azeri FA who blamed a shortfall in sales.

However, much credit should go to the FAW who reacted swiftly and positively: “We have agreed to issue our travelling supporters with complimentary tickets for this match as a goodwill gesture following all the visa problems our fans have encountered,” said an FAW spokesperson.

Fans who travelled to Baku should contact the FAW for a full refund when they arrive home.