Europa League final allocations "must be increased" Football ...

The body representing football supporters at European level are demanding UEFA increase the number of tickets going to supporters of the competing finalists in this year’s Europa League final.

Taking place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in May, the competing finalists will receive just 12,000 tickets each – only 50% of the stadium’s 48,000 capacity. The remaining 50% will be going to UEFA’s sponsors, VIPs, corporate packages and a small general ballot.

Football Supporters Europe said today they have “serious concerns” about the size of these allocations and are calling on UEFA and local authorities to increase the number of tickets given to fans of the competing teams.

“It is extremely disappointing that the UEFA Europa League Final in Dublin will represent such a step backward,” said FSE executive director Ronan Evain.

“We urge UEFA and the local organisers to reconsider their ticketing policy and offer a significantly higher allocation to the two finalist clubs.

“A significant increase needs to be made in line with FSE’s position of a minimum of 66% to do right by supporters.”

With some of Europe’s historically biggest clubs with large fan bases – such as Liverpool, AC Milan, Roma, Marseille and West Ham United – still in the competition, demand is expected to far exceed these small allocations.

Elsewhere, the Champions League final at Wembley will see 58% of the stadium capacity going to the fans of competing finalists while at the Conference League final in Athens 66% of tickets will go to the finalists’ supporters, which is an all-time high for any UEFA club competition final.

FSE also argue that a higher allocation of tickets for general sale significantly fuels black market ticket activity, exploiting fans’ loyalty and further increasing the cost of tickets.

Fans have been lobbying UEFA on allocations for a number of years and in 2019 FSE started a campaign to promote more supporter-orientated finals following UEFA’s decision to host the 2019 Europa League final in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Ticket prices

In addition to allocations, concerns remain about tickets above the lowest category. For this season’s Champions League final the cheapest ticket price, outside of the club’s direct allocation, is £160.

The English clubs that remain in the Champions League would easily expect to sell out their 25,000 allocation at Wembley, forcing any remaining season ticket holders into UEFA’s general ballot where tickets range from £160 all the way up to £610.

 “The most important people at any final are the fans of the two competing clubs, who have loyally followed their teams through every round, and go week in and week out.

“Unfortunately this loyalty is not properly recognised by the competition organisers including UEFA.” – FSA chair Malcolm Clarke

Supporters have long called for more affordable finals and current FSE policy, backed by the FSA and voted on by members across the continent, says at least 45% of general admission tickets should be priced at the lowest category of €70 (2019 prices).