Fans who paid between £5 and £12 to watch the match online complained about the lack of atmosphere, slow streaming speeds and the lack of licensed premises showing the game.

But international football agency Kentaro and media group Perform insisted there were "no technical issues".

The firms described the number of viewers as "close to half a million" but this includes figures for the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), which screened the game free for troops, as well as those who watched it in cinemas and online.