Dublin: Football Supporters Europe, a fans’ group, has voiced sharp criticism against UEFA’s decision to allocate only 12,000 tickets per club for the Europa League final at Aviva Stadium, accounting for 50% of the venue’s 48,000 capacity.
English clubs Liverpool and West Ham have advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals, potentially setting up a clash in the final on May 22.
“A paltry 50% of capacity for Europa League finalist clubs is, simply, not good enough,” stated FSE, falling short of their demand for at least 66% of tickets for all European finals to be allocated to supporters of the participating teams.
“Fans of competing teams need clear priority over public sale options. A higher allocation for general sale will fuel black market ticket activity, exploiting fans’ loyalty,” the group added.
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Uefa defended its decision, citing extensive discussions with local authorities regarding logistical operations and access routes to sections occupied by supporters of each finalist. An additional 12,000 tickets will be available via Uefa’s ticketing portal.
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In March, Uefa’s general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, acknowledged the challenge of accommodating supporters if clubs with larger fanbases reached the Europa League final.
Contrastingly, Champions League finalists this season will receive a combined 58% allocation of 25,000 tickets each for the match at Wembley on June 1.
In 2022, Uefa issued an apology after Liverpool fans were teargassed ahead of the Champions League final in Paris. Despite initial blame on ticketless fans, an independent report held Uefa primarily responsible for the delay in kick-off.
Similar criticisms arose during the 2023 Champions League final in Istanbul, with fans enduring long walks along busy roads, lengthy queues for transport, and shortages of water before Manchester City’s victory over Inter Milan.
