siross
Inactive User
Im not surprised Liverpool arent happy i think thats disgusting to the fans
Liverpool fans leader Les Lawson has criticised both the club and UEFA over the ticket allocation for the Champions League final.
Liverpool and AC Milan have both been allocated almost 17,000 tickets each for the 63,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Athens for the May 23 showpiece.
UEFA have kept 20,000 tickets for their own distribution while 9,000 were held for a UEFA ballot.
Liverpool, and the other teams in the last four, were made aware of the allocation ahead of the semi-final second legs. Liverpool asked for more the day after their side beat Chelsea, but were turned down.
Two seasons ago Liverpool received 20,000 tickets for the 75,000-capacity Ataturk stadium in Istanbul for the final, and it was estimated that 40,000 Reds fans finally got their hands on tickets.
And while UEFA have refused to allow Liverpool to have any returned tickets from Milan for security and segregation reasons, many Anfield fans have been as critical of their own club as they have been of UEFA's stance.
Lawson, spokesman for the Official Liverpool Supporters Club, said: "There has been failures on all sides, the allocation is too small.
"But the crux of the matter is the way Liverpool have distributed their tickets.
"Fancard holders who may have only attended six Champions League qualifiers, but no other games, have gone into the same ballot as season-ticket holders.
"I have never seen anything this bad and I have never seen so many people down in the dumps as there are this year.
"Fans are very downbeat, I have heard of groups of 30 or 40 people where only three have been successful in getting tickets.
"People have been really upset, nearly in tears. It has taken a lot of the gloss off Liverpool getting to the final."
Liverpool have operated a fancard policy this season whereby supporters earn a point for each European game attended.
Those with seven or more points qualified while those with less - in many cases season-ticket holders who have been unable to travel abroad - have been entered into a ballot.
Results of the computerised ballot were announced yesterday with season-ticket holders and fancard holders in the draw together. No distinction was made between the two groups, other than the fancard holders' points tally.
Liverpool say their ticket distribution methods have been known since the beginning of the season, but many fans have already booked travel to Athens only to find they do not qualify for match tickets.
Liverpool spokesman Ian Cotton said: "The bottom line is that UEFA gave us just short of 17,000 [16,779] knowing full well we have an extraordinary number of fans who want to go to the final.
"We made our concerns quite clear but UEFA told us there would be no more. We understand people's disappointment and we are sympathetic and apologetic. If we had been given more we would have happily made more available."
But it is UEFA's use of 20,000 tickets for corporate hospitality or their "own family" that is also being questioned. Many of these will find their way onto the black market, just as they did in Istanbul.
That accounted for how Liverpool fans took up three-quarters of the Turkish stadium.
UEFA insist their allocation is fair and spokesman William Gaillard told the Liverpool Echo: "If we built a stadium with a million seats, the match would still sell out and supporters would not be able to see the pitch.
"It's impossible more will be released in the coming weeks - 17,000 is the final figure."
Liverpool fans leader Les Lawson has criticised both the club and UEFA over the ticket allocation for the Champions League final.
Liverpool and AC Milan have both been allocated almost 17,000 tickets each for the 63,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Athens for the May 23 showpiece.
UEFA have kept 20,000 tickets for their own distribution while 9,000 were held for a UEFA ballot.
Liverpool, and the other teams in the last four, were made aware of the allocation ahead of the semi-final second legs. Liverpool asked for more the day after their side beat Chelsea, but were turned down.
Two seasons ago Liverpool received 20,000 tickets for the 75,000-capacity Ataturk stadium in Istanbul for the final, and it was estimated that 40,000 Reds fans finally got their hands on tickets.
And while UEFA have refused to allow Liverpool to have any returned tickets from Milan for security and segregation reasons, many Anfield fans have been as critical of their own club as they have been of UEFA's stance.
Lawson, spokesman for the Official Liverpool Supporters Club, said: "There has been failures on all sides, the allocation is too small.
"But the crux of the matter is the way Liverpool have distributed their tickets.
"Fancard holders who may have only attended six Champions League qualifiers, but no other games, have gone into the same ballot as season-ticket holders.
"I have never seen anything this bad and I have never seen so many people down in the dumps as there are this year.
"Fans are very downbeat, I have heard of groups of 30 or 40 people where only three have been successful in getting tickets.
"People have been really upset, nearly in tears. It has taken a lot of the gloss off Liverpool getting to the final."
Liverpool have operated a fancard policy this season whereby supporters earn a point for each European game attended.
Those with seven or more points qualified while those with less - in many cases season-ticket holders who have been unable to travel abroad - have been entered into a ballot.
Results of the computerised ballot were announced yesterday with season-ticket holders and fancard holders in the draw together. No distinction was made between the two groups, other than the fancard holders' points tally.
Liverpool say their ticket distribution methods have been known since the beginning of the season, but many fans have already booked travel to Athens only to find they do not qualify for match tickets.
Liverpool spokesman Ian Cotton said: "The bottom line is that UEFA gave us just short of 17,000 [16,779] knowing full well we have an extraordinary number of fans who want to go to the final.
"We made our concerns quite clear but UEFA told us there would be no more. We understand people's disappointment and we are sympathetic and apologetic. If we had been given more we would have happily made more available."
But it is UEFA's use of 20,000 tickets for corporate hospitality or their "own family" that is also being questioned. Many of these will find their way onto the black market, just as they did in Istanbul.
That accounted for how Liverpool fans took up three-quarters of the Turkish stadium.
UEFA insist their allocation is fair and spokesman William Gaillard told the Liverpool Echo: "If we built a stadium with a million seats, the match would still sell out and supporters would not be able to see the pitch.
"It's impossible more will be released in the coming weeks - 17,000 is the final figure."
