UEFA Criticized for Insufficient Ticket Allocation in Europa League Final
Europe’s leading fan group, Football Supporters Europe (FSE), has criticized UEFA for what it calls a “paltry” ticket allocation for the Europa League Final in Dublin. If Liverpool and West Ham reach the Aviva Stadium on May 22, they will be given just 12,000 tickets each, representing only half of the stadium’s 48,000 capacity. The FSE has urged UEFA to increase the club allocations and “do right” by fans.
The initial allocation of tickets, called “Fans First” seats, are priced at £34 and are available for sale for both Liverpool and West Ham fans. However, FSE believes that the allocation is insufficient and that UEFA should perform a u-turn on their decision. While UEFA has made progress in recent seasons in terms of ticket allocation, the FSE sees the Dublin decision as a step back in the wrong direction.
In contrast to the Europa League Final, the Champions League Final at Wembley on June 1 will see each finalist club receive 25,000 seats, with an additional 10,000 seats available for general sale. Furthermore, Aston Villa will be given 9,000 seats if they reach the Conference League Final in Athens on May 29, with a further 3,000 tickets available at a price of just £21. FSE has highlighted these percentages of seat availability and accused UEFA of guaranteeing a black market that would exploit fans’ passion for their club.
The FSE is demanding a consistent approach across all finals and wants UEFA to provide at least 66 percent of tickets for all European finals to supporters of the teams involved. They argue that fans of competing teams should be given clear priority over public sale options to prevent black market ticket activity.
Ronan Evain, the executive director of FSE, expressed disappointment with UEFA’s ticketing policy for the Europa League Final in Dublin. He urged UEFA and the local organizers to reconsider their allocation and offer a significantly higher number of tickets to the two finalist clubs. UEFA’s general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, had previously expressed concerns about Dublin potentially being overrun by fans without tickets and had considered Croke Park as a potential venue for public screening of the match.
In conclusion, the FSE has criticized UEFA for what they consider to be an insufficient ticket allocation for the Europa League Final in Dublin. They believe that UEFA should increase the club allocations and prioritize fans of competing teams over general sale options to prevent black market ticket activity. The FSE is calling for a consistent approach across all finals and wants UEFA to provide at least 66 percent of tickets for all European finals to supporters of the teams involved.