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Furious Nicki Minaj fans say security at the Co-op Live arena told them the singer was in the building when she was actually in police custody in the Netherlands before her gig was postponed.

Ticketholders, some of whom spent more than £2,000 getting into the Manchester venue, have raised questions about its handling of the situation and branded it 'ridiculous' that they were left waiting in their seats for hours before being told to go home.

The event on Saturday night was cancelled hours after it was due to start following the 41-year-old's arrest at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on suspicion of drugs offenses that afternoon - something which she live-streamed on social media.

Fans claim that despite seeing Minaj had been detained 500 miles from her destination, security staff at the Co-Op Live arena tried to put them at ease by telling them 'she had arrived and that everyone was going to dance tonight'.

Instead there would be boos and shouts of anger in the auditorium when more than 23,000 attendees were told the event was being shelved as the rapper wouldn't make it on time.

Nicki Minaj was seen arriving into Manchester late on Saturday night after being arrested in Amsterdam 

Fans gather inside the Co-op Live arena in Manchester on Saturday night before the Nicki Minaj concert was postponed

Nicki Minaj fans leave Co-op Live arena in Manchester in Saturday night after her concert is postponed

The decision sparked a furious backlash from some Minaj fans, who go by the collective name the Barbz, who claim bosses at the newly-built arena should have told them sooner the show was not going to go ahead. 

Representatives for the beleaguered £365million arena, which belatedly opened this month after being plagued by setbacks, said they allowed people to enter to 'ensure the safety and welfare of fans while awaiting updates'. 

Alvin Christie, 29, from Liverpool, said he waited from 9am to attend the concert and criticised the mixed messages from staff at the venue.

He said: 'I would say it was very poorly managed. When we arrived into the event, they were actively telling fans that she had arrived and that everyone was going to dance tonight.

'For a lot of people that were asking those questions, that's obviously (keeping) people's hopes up. I understand that maybe they wanted to get people into the arena for health and safety risks to stop people being outside.

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'But I think most importantly, they maybe could have advised people as soon as they've known that the show was postponed and we should be turned away when we're outside the arena, rather than holding loads of people in the arena.'

Mr Christie did not blame Minaj after her arrest in Amsterdam, and says fans wanted for her to be 'in a good place'.

'We completely understood the situation that was in hand and with her being transparent, and showing everyone what was going on, we were just more concerned that she was okay and if the show didn't go on and was rescheduled, then we fully understood that,' he added.

Minaj's supporters, who go by the collective name Barbz, have voiced slammed bosses at the 'cursed' music venue for letting them go inside and spend money despite the show going ahead.

Eileen Allardyce, 32, a hotel manager from Edinburgh, spent around £2,500 on tickets, travel and hotel costs and says she will not be able to make a rescheduled date.

Ms Allardyce said that since Co-op Live announced a delay in April to its opening event, where comedian Peter Kay was due to perform, she has been 'on eggshells' along with her friends who also had tickets for Minaj.

The rapper was arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Saturday and says she spent six hours in custody before being allowed to go.

'Obviously, it's not Co-op's fault what happened in Amsterdam, and it's not Nicki's fault either, like, obviously, no blame for her at all,' she said.

'But as I say, I just feel like the way they (the venue) handled it was just absolutely ridiculous. They have no clue, like absolutely no clue. I don't think they were prepared for anything, to be honest.'

Ms Allardyce claimed that there were  'no toilets' at the Co-Op Live arena on Saturday while she queued outside the venue from 4pm.

Nicki Minaj covered her head with a bright pink coat as she left her hotel in Manchester to go to Birmingham this afternoon

Eileen Allardyce says she spent £2,500 on tickets, travel and accommodation, for the Nicki Minaj gig

Alvin Christie (right) claimed security told people that Minaj was in the arena when she was actually 500 miles away in Amsterdam

Nicki Minaj fans gathered outside the hotel she was staying in in Manchester this morning to try and catch a glimpse of the star

She also maintained that several security guards told her that Nicki Minaj was in the building, despite still being detained in Amsterdam.

'I'm very disappointed, more so (towards) the venue because, obviously, everyone was unravelling on social media, everyone knew what the situation was and the venue completely let us down,' Ms Allardyce said.

In Manchester fans of the singer gathered outside her hotel this morning to show their support for the artist after she arrived in the early hours of the morning.

Hope Brown, from Blackburn, revealed that last night's concert was the second one that's been cancelled on her this month at the Co-op Live arena.

'I was meant to go to the Olivia Rodrigo concert earlier this month but that didn't go ahead because the Co-op arena wasn't ready,' the 20-year-old said.

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'I'm beginning to think I'm jinked!

'We'd booked a hotel so made the best of a bad situation.

'When she was still in Amsterdam in the early evening, the concert should have been cancelled then.

'It was never the ideal preparation for a concert going straight from a police station to a concert venue!'

Sophie Pearce, who had also been at the venue on Saturday night, said the organisation had been a 'shambles'. 

'I'm so disappointed because I've been looking forward to the concert for so long,' the 19-year-old said.

'How it was handled was a bit of a shambles because all the fans were hanging around for hours when there was very little chance it would go ahead.

'People have spent a lot of money to get here and it's been for nothing.'

Olivia Wilkinson, 22, said: 'It has been an expensive trip for nothing.

'I'm really disappointed. The concert should have been cancelled sooner as it must have been obvious she was never going to get to Manchester on time.

'I've spent around £200 on tickets and accommodation and am hoping to salvage something from it by seeing her today.'

Laura Williams, 24, who travelled down from Lancaster, added: 'It's obvious that Nicki really wanted to perform last night because she still came to Manchester even though the concert had been cancelled.

'I'm not sure whose fault it is but I don't blame Nicki Minaj. I just hope the concert can be rescheduled soon.'

Fans walk away from the Co-op Live arena on Saturday night after Nicki Minaj's concert is called off

Co-op Live announced Nicki Minaj's concert was being postponed hours after people were let into the venue in Manchester, sparking a backlash from fans

Minaj had live-streamed her arrest in the Netherlands at around 4pm after police detained her on suspicion of exporting soft drugs as she prepared to fly to Britain after 'weed' was allegedly found in her luggage. The singer denied it belonged to her and claimed the items were the property of her security team. 

An hour and a half later Co-op Live tweeted that doors for her Manchester show would open at 7pm and fans entered, despite the R&B star not being released from custody until around 8.55pm. 

She was later seen arriving at Manchester late on Saturday night after devastated fans were sent home.

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She later tweeted that she had been 'sitting in a jail cell for 5-6hours' and asked her fans to 'please please please accept my deepest & most sincere apologies'.

One fan told MailOnline last night that she was 'absolutely heartbroken' at Saturday's concert being called off. 'It's not exactly like the tickets were cheap,' said Alesha. 'We spent an absolute fortune to be there tonight, let alone the travel and outfits we got for it.'

'Absolute shambles that the Co-op live didn't just let us let us know beforehand that the show was going to be postponed,' she added, a sentiment shared by many other ticketholders.

One supporter wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: 'Co-op Live you are a f

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