From their email mailing list
NEWS RELEASE
16 April 2002
RIVAL fans have united to lobby football's governing body and end a policy
that promotes ticket touting and disorder.
Independent supporters' groups from Champions' League semi-finalists Real
Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen have signed a
joint letter of protest at UEFA's decision to give almost half of the
tickets for this year's final to neutral spectators and corporate guests.
Glasgow's Hampden Park, which will host the final on 15 May, seats 52,500
fans. UEFA has announced that 24,500 tickets will go to businesses and
neutrals. The clubs will receive 14,000 each, of which a further proportion
will be sold to executive spectators.
The supporters, brought together by the Eurofans campaign, warn that tens of
thousands of ticketless fans will travel to Hampden and buy tickets for
inflated prices on the black market. The fans' group is accusing UEFA of
hypocrisy, as it insists on strict segregation while employing a policy that
encourages its breakdown. They are urging UEFA president Lennart Johansson
to reconsider.
Andrew Lindsay, Eurofans spokesman, said: "UEFA is ensuring thousands of
fans miss out on a massive occasion while others will be forced to pay
hundreds of pounds for a ticket.
"It is unjustifiable and it is asking for trouble. Opposing fans could be
all over the ground and large groups will be left outside. Once again,
match-going supporters have been ignored."
The campaigners, who are also supported by fans' groups from defeated
quarter-finalists Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Panathinaikos, demand that
UEFA reviews its unpopular policy of touting tickets to neutrals and
companies months in advance of the final.
All football fans are urged to email info@uefa.com <mailto:info@uefa.com>
with their thoughts.
· The Letter
Dear Mr Johansson
We, the undersigned fans' representatives of the four 2001-2002 Champions'
League semi- finalists, wish to register our protest at the proposed ticket
allocations for this year's final, to be staged at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
We feel that an allocation of 14,000 tickets per team is a recipe for
disaster. Not only could each of our clubs quite comfortably sell many more
tickets, but it is obvious that thousands more fans - and in some cases tens
of thousands - will travel to Glasgow.
This will give rise to increased touting, profiteering and forgery, as well
as being a blatant security risk and amplifying the chances of violence. As
peaceful football supporters, this is simply unacceptable to us.
We hereby urge you to reconsider the allocation before disastrous
consequences are realised. It is surely unfair that the fans of the two most
successful clubs should make do with less than half of the
tickets between them.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Lindsay, Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association
Joan Laporta, L'Elefant Blau, Barcelona
L Felipe Lainez, Orgullo Vikingo, Real Madrid
Tobias Naumann, elected spokesman of Bayer Leverkusen fans
· Contacts
Andrew Lindsay: 01706 213311 (day) 07775 607001 (night)
L Felipe Lainez: (+0034) (-0)652 65 0285
Stephen Davies, Independent Liverpool Supporters' Association: (+0044)
(-0)774 009 0521
NEWS RELEASE
16 April 2002
RIVAL fans have united to lobby football's governing body and end a policy
that promotes ticket touting and disorder.
Independent supporters' groups from Champions' League semi-finalists Real
Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen have signed a
joint letter of protest at UEFA's decision to give almost half of the
tickets for this year's final to neutral spectators and corporate guests.
Glasgow's Hampden Park, which will host the final on 15 May, seats 52,500
fans. UEFA has announced that 24,500 tickets will go to businesses and
neutrals. The clubs will receive 14,000 each, of which a further proportion
will be sold to executive spectators.
The supporters, brought together by the Eurofans campaign, warn that tens of
thousands of ticketless fans will travel to Hampden and buy tickets for
inflated prices on the black market. The fans' group is accusing UEFA of
hypocrisy, as it insists on strict segregation while employing a policy that
encourages its breakdown. They are urging UEFA president Lennart Johansson
to reconsider.
Andrew Lindsay, Eurofans spokesman, said: "UEFA is ensuring thousands of
fans miss out on a massive occasion while others will be forced to pay
hundreds of pounds for a ticket.
"It is unjustifiable and it is asking for trouble. Opposing fans could be
all over the ground and large groups will be left outside. Once again,
match-going supporters have been ignored."
The campaigners, who are also supported by fans' groups from defeated
quarter-finalists Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Panathinaikos, demand that
UEFA reviews its unpopular policy of touting tickets to neutrals and
companies months in advance of the final.
All football fans are urged to email info@uefa.com <mailto:info@uefa.com>
with their thoughts.
· The Letter
Dear Mr Johansson
We, the undersigned fans' representatives of the four 2001-2002 Champions'
League semi- finalists, wish to register our protest at the proposed ticket
allocations for this year's final, to be staged at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
We feel that an allocation of 14,000 tickets per team is a recipe for
disaster. Not only could each of our clubs quite comfortably sell many more
tickets, but it is obvious that thousands more fans - and in some cases tens
of thousands - will travel to Glasgow.
This will give rise to increased touting, profiteering and forgery, as well
as being a blatant security risk and amplifying the chances of violence. As
peaceful football supporters, this is simply unacceptable to us.
We hereby urge you to reconsider the allocation before disastrous
consequences are realised. It is surely unfair that the fans of the two most
successful clubs should make do with less than half of the
tickets between them.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Lindsay, Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association
Joan Laporta, L'Elefant Blau, Barcelona
L Felipe Lainez, Orgullo Vikingo, Real Madrid
Tobias Naumann, elected spokesman of Bayer Leverkusen fans
· Contacts
Andrew Lindsay: 01706 213311 (day) 07775 607001 (night)
L Felipe Lainez: (+0034) (-0)652 65 0285
Stephen Davies, Independent Liverpool Supporters' Association: (+0044)
(-0)774 009 0521
