Organisers of MICHAEL JACKSON's Los Angeles memorial service have insisted British fans can register for tickets to the event after they were bombarded by complaints from U.K. devotees who believed they had been locked out of the online ballot.
Fans were told during a press conference on Friday morning they could register for free tickets to next week's (07Jul09) tribute, and hysteria ensued as 120,000 followers visited the official website in the first 90 minutes tickets were available.
As more than 500 million people vied for just 17,500 tickets, the site briefly crashed several times as it tried to cope with the unprecedented demand for access.
During the mayhem, rumours began to circulate that only U.S. residents would be able to join in the tribute, as British fans struggled to get online.
The Staples Center bosses were hit with thousands of complaints as outrage mounted in the U.K.
But a spokesperson for the organisers insist British citizens have as much of a chance as Americans to land the prized tickets.
The rep says, "British fans can register for the memorial." Meanwhile, police chiefs have confirmed they are putting together a huge squad to try and cope with the 700,000 people they expect to descend on L.A. as the tribute takes place.