If Liverpool get to the Europa League final, any Reds in attendance may be counting their blessings at being there for what’d be Jurgen Klopp’s last game in charge.
According to the Daily Mail, the two clubs who make it to the showpiece in Dublin on 22 May will be given a paltry ticket allocation of just 13,000 each, which’d comprise just over half of the Aviva Stadium’s 51,711 capacity.
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The remainder will be held back for UEFA sponsors, dignitaries and VIP guests, while information on the European governing body’s website regarding an online public ballot remains sketchy, to put it politely.
On the ticketing page for the fixture, visitors are told: ‘Information about the sale of standard tickets for UEFA Europa League Final 2024 will not be available before April 2024. Please visit UEFA.com/tickets regularly for updates.’
Liverpool fans could be left enraged by UEFA’s organisation of a European final yet again, two years on from the disgraceful scenes outside the Stade de France as Reds supporters were treated horrendously by heavy-handed French police.
It’s a depressing indictment of modern football that the continent’s governing body would reserve so many tickets for a showpiece fixture for bigwigs in designer suits, instead of prioritising followers of whichever two clubs are involved in Dublin.
The Irish authorities have already voiced concerns over an influx to the capital city in May, should Klopp’s team make it to the Europa League decider, with discussions underway about potentially opening the 82,300-capacity Croke Park to use as an official fan zone.
Of course, Liverpool still have a couple of rounds to negotiate if they’re to make it to the final, but even if we fall short, there’ll still be two fanbases left scrambling for tickets because of UEFA’s inexplicable allocations.
Once again, the governing body of European football is showing scant regard for loyal supporters who are the lifeblood of the sport throughout the continent.