EUROPE’S leading fan group slammed Uefa over the “paltry” ticket allocation for the Europa League final in Dublin.
Liverpool and West Ham will be given 12,000 tickets each if they reach the Aviva Stadium on May 22, representing just half the 48,000 capacity.
Fans of both clubs have seven days to apply for the initial allocation of £34 “Fans First” seats that are available from a further 12,000 tickets on sale.
But Football Supporters Europe (FSE) led the attack on Uefa, urging Europe’s governing body to perform a U-turn, increase the club allocations and “do right” by fans.
FSE said that while Uefa had made “encouraging progress in recent seasons”, the Dublin decision was a step back in the wrong direction and was a “serious concern”.
The two clubs making the Champions league final at Wembley on June 1 will each get 25,000 seats, with a further 10,000 on general sale.
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Fans of Arsenal and Manchester City can now apply for “Fans First” tickets at £60 for seats behind the Wembley goals, with top priced tickets costing £610.
And Aston Villa will be handed 9,000 seats if they reach the Conference League Final in Athens on May 29, with a further 3,000 tickets available at just £21.
But FSE contrasted the percentages of seats available in London and the Greek capital with those in Dublin, accusing Uefa of guaranteeing a black market that would prey on fans’ passion for their club.
It said: “The Champions League final at Wembley will see the largest finalists’ allocation for the competition in a decade – 58 per cent.
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“For the Europa Conference League Final in Athens, 66 per cent of tickets will go to the finalist clubs’ supporters, which is an all-time high for any Uefa club competition final.
“Despite this, a consistent approach across all finals is still needed.
“A paltry 50 per cent of capacity for Europa League finalist clubs is, simply, not good enough and falls well short of FSE’s demand to provide at least 66 per cent of tickets for all European finals to supporters of the teams involved.
“Fans of competing teams need to be given clear priority over public sale options.
“A higher allocation of tickets for general sale will significantly fuel black market ticket activity, exploiting fans’ loyalty in the process.”
FSE executive director Ronan Evain added: “Uefa has made steady progress over the last few seasons in recognising the importance of offering a high number of tickets to the finalists’ most dedicated supporters.
“But it is extremely disappointing that the Europa League final in Dublin will represent such a step backward.
“We urge Uefa and the local organisers to reconsider their ticketing policy and offer a significantly higher allocation to the two finalist clubs.”
Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis admitted last month to concerns about Dublin being potentially inundated with fans without tickets, revealing that Croke Park had been identified as a potential venue for public screening of the match.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
