Arsenal criticizes choice of Baku as Europa League final venue
Arsenal say they are "bitterly disappointed" at their ticket allocation for the Europa League final in Baku, Sky Sports reports, citing a statement of the club.
The Gunners face Premier League rivals Chelsea in the Azerbaijan capital on May 29 - but the decision to host the fixture in Baku's Olympic Stadium has thrown up plenty of issues since the two London clubs qualified last week.
Arsenal and Chelsea have already declared their disappointment at the ticket allocation for the final, with both clubs receiving in the region of 6,000 tickets each for a stadium which has a full capacity of 69,870.
The Arsenal statement on Thursday 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 final venue with such limited transport provision is quite simply not right. The reality is that whoever reached the final would not be able to meet demand from their supporters.
"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. Moving forward 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 and cannot be repeated. We would be happy to join any future discussions to avoid this situation happening again."
Earler, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp also criticised the choice of Baku as the venue for the Europa League final and said soccer's European governing body UEFA needed to address the way it selected host cities, according to Reuters.
"I think with Madrid it's unbelievably expensive that's clear, but going to Baku for a Europa League final, that's really funny," Klopp told reporters. "I think these guys who made these decisions, I don't know what they had for breakfast really when they did it."
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