MANCHESTER UNITED are handing out £245,000 to fans left out of pocket because tonight’s Europa League fixture against LASK will be played behind closed doors.
Old Trafford bosses decided to refund the 700 fans who bought tickets £350 each to help ease the burden of flights and hotels they may have shelled out for.
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Man Utd will refund fans £350 each if they had booked tickets to tonight’s behind closed doors Europa League clash at LASKCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The club had already refunded the cost of the match ticket, which was either £35 or £53.
But they went further after recognising the vast majority of fans would not be able to get refunds on their accommodation or travel arrangements.
The club told fans who had purchased tickets for the game through the club: “We appreciate the lengths to which supporters go to follow the team wherever we are playing in Europe.
“We understand that, for many fans, the cost of travel and accommodation for the LASK game will have been non-refundable.
“Given this unique occasion, we have chosen to pay a fixed sum of £350 to all supporters who were due to attend tonight’s game having purchased tickets through the club.
“This is in addition to the match ticket refund which has now been processed and should be credited to your account within 3 working days.
“The £350 will also be credited to your account within 5 working days and appear as a separate payment. Thanks.”
One fan told SunSport: “The club gets its fair share of criticism but this is a brilliant gesture.
“The fans who travel to away games spend thousands of pounds every year following the team through thick and thin.
“United has recognised this and it’s a lovely gesture.
“They deserve credit for it.”
It was announced on Tuesday that the last-16 game at the Linzer stadium would be played behind closed doors in an attempt to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.
Uefa made the decision after Austrian officials banned gatherings of more than 500 people.
Despite the ban, hundreds of United fans are still expected to travel to Linz ahead of tonight’s game.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
