Andrew Culf
There is genuine anger on the streets of Athens about the distribution of Champions League tickets.
Andrew Culf
Two contrasting snapshots of Athens during the countdown to the Champions League final. In Syntagma Square, in the centre of the city, hundreds of Liverpool fans, gathered on a flight of steps, a wall of red and yellow replica kits, belting out their traditional Kop repertoire. Across a chaotically traffic-choked road in the hushed environs of one of Athens' five-star hotels, besuited Uefa bigwigs and honoured guests checked in, clutching Champions League goodie bags.
The phenomenon is nothing new - it was a feature of last summer's World Cup in Germany, where real fans rubbed shoulders with sponsors' clients on corporate jollies. But fans are getting increasingly wise to football's big divide and they are not remaining silent about it. The Football Supporters' Federation has struck a raw nerve with its "Tickets for fans - not sponsors" campaign, and they have been busy handing out their stickers in Athens.
As supporters hunted down exorbitantly priced black market tickets, many expressed understanding of the need for some tickets for sponsors and officials - but there was also genuine anger about Uefa's ticket allocation, plus, for this match, concern that Liverpool had let down regular season ticket holders by the way they had distributed the club's 17,000 tickets, 6,000 of which were set aside for white-collar supporters.
The Olympic Stadium has a capacity of 63,800 for tonight's match - but only 34,000 tickets go to supporters of Liverpool and Milan. Another 9,000 were available to all supporters (and, presumably touts too) in an internet ballot held in February.
The fans I met in the square yesterday were united in their condemnation of Uefa's policy. Graham Craig, 40, of Anfield, said: "It is a commercial issue, rather than purely about football. Not enough grassroots fans are receiving tickets." Gary Bown, 38, of Leicester, and his friend Paul Bolton, 35, were hoping that tickets ordered through a London website agency at an eyewatering £675 each, would arrive in time - and had heard of someone selling 50 corporate tickets at €1,500 each.
Graeme McKean, 35, of Falkirk, told how he could afford €300 for a ticket, but had been offered one for €4,200. Season ticket holder Malcolm Hunter, 29, had flown in from his new home in Melbourne and, despite having the necessary fan credits, was ticketless. "Absolutely scandalous" was his simple verdict.
Until these problems are addressed, it is inevitable touts will continue to demand up to €3,000 for tickets. The question is, how can supporters shame the authorities into putting the ordinary fan - and not corporate sponsors - first?
Guardian Unlimited*Disclaimer - Views expressed within this story are not necessarily the views of this Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment