The Evening Standard (London)
May 16, 2019 Thursday
Arsenal want answers over Baku
Angry Arsenal want Final answers
by James Olley
ARSENAL today urged UEFA to explain their reasoning in selecting Baku for the Europa League Final after casting doubt over whether they can sell out their 6,000 allocation.
The Gunners face Chelsea in Azerbaijan on May 29 with fans struggling for flights and accommodation to make the near 6,000-mile round trip to see the club's first European Final in 13 years.
Arsenal are also in contact with the Foreign Office to help British-Armenian ticket holders gain access to Azerbaijan.
There are currently no diplomatic relations between the two countries due to a conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, meaning those holding Armenian passports are likely to have their visa applications rejected. The Gunners' Armenia winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan's participation is also in doubt as while special dispensation will be granted to allow him into the country, Arsenal are continuing to seek additional assurances over his security in Azerbaijan.
UEFA admitted in a statement on Friday that Baku's infrastructure prevented increasing the allocations given to Arsenal and Chelsea, claiming "it was deemed that around 15,000 spectators would be able to travel from abroad [this includes finalists' fans and general public], with Baku as the main hub".
However, Arsenal have asked for further clarification over UEFA's process in choosing one of the most inaccessible options possible to stage Continued on Page 48 Continued from Page 51 the Final after releasing a strongly worded statement this morning.
It read: "We are bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000. Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are.
"We have 45,000 season-ticket holders and for so many fans to miss out due to UEFA selecting a venue with such limited transport provision is not right. The reality is that whoever reached the Final would not be able to meet demand from their supporters. We have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns.
"We would like to understand the criteria by which venues are selected for finals and also how supporter requirements are taken into account as part of this.
"We would urge UEFA to ensure that supporter logistics and requirements are a key part of any future decisions for final venues as what has happened this season is unacceptable. We would be happy to join any future discussions to avoid this happening again."
Meanwhile, Tottenham and Liverpool supporters have called on UEFA's leading Champions League sponsors, such as Nissan, Pepsi and PlayStation, to return a portion of their tickets for this year's Final to be reallocated to fans.
Each side has been given 16,613 tickets, despite the Estadio Metropolitano holding 68,000, as UEFA prioritises "the local organising committee, UEFA and national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters".
In conjunction with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust, Liverpool fans' group Spirit of Shankly wrote: "We ask [the sponsors] to help redress the balance."