Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea Fan Groups Press for UEFA Final Reforms

Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

The English supporter groups are unhappy about issues of cost, availability, and access for the major European finals.

For the Champions League final, Liverpool and Tottenham supporters each were given access to less than 25% of the seats at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano, with the prices for those tickets rising as high as €600.

For the Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan, issues of access and infrastructure caused added difficulties for Arsenal and Chelsea supporters who travelled—or would have liked to have—to support their clubs.

There are similar issues most years. A lack of access to tickets for supporters, high prices even for things within UEFA’s control, and in some cases made worse by host locations that appear unprepared to take on a major European final.

Every year, there are complaints that UEFA. Last season was no different, but with all four finalists English clubs, there is now something less usual: an effort by the involved fan groups to continue to press for reforms.

As such, Liverpool’s Spirit of Shankly have joined the supporters trusts of Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea to try to put pressure on UEFA, and will now seek to enlist other large supporter groups on the continent.

“Supporters at this year’s finals suffered from extremely low ticket allocations, high pricing, significant travel, and poor infrastructure at host venues,” read a statement today from Spirt of Shankly chair Joe Blott.

“This cannot be allowed to continue. We hope to get the necessary support at conference from our European counterparts to take this challenge to the President of UEFA. Football is about fans and we hope UEFA will listen.”

The four English supporters’ groups have six key points they will seek to pressure UEFA on, including issues of ticket allocation, cost, and match accessibility.

European Club Finals #ForTheFans

SOS has worked alongside @AST_arsenal @THSTOfficial & @ChelseaSTrust to ask @uefa for a fairer deal for the fans at European finals.

We are taking our a six-point motion to @FansEurope conference.

Follow @ForTheFans
More https://t.co/giqsIOCgjN pic.twitter.com/ZEudVLhVb5

— Spirit of Shankly (@spiritofshankly) July 3, 2019

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com