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For the sake of football fans everywhere the cup final venues should be restricted to stadiums within easy reach and within a country with a high ranking league.
England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland
I would imagine that the decision to hold last night's final in Baku was the result of considerable financial pressure from an oil rich nation.
https://www.theguardian.com/football...helsea-arsenal
Baku is within easy reach of many UEFA Countries, just not the far western ones.
Not within easy reach of those countries that provide the finalists.Originally Posted by Harry Monk
No one knew who the finalists would be when the allocation of the Final venue was made. Are we now suggesting that only FA's that may provide finalists should be given the opportunity to host a UEFA final? Since 1956 we've had the final of the Europe Champions League (including the European Cup) in the following countries - Italy 9 times; England 8 times; Spain 7 times; France 5 times; Germany 5 times; Austria 4 times; Belgium 4 times; Netherlands 4 times; Greece 3 times; Scotland 3 times; Portugal twice; Russia once; Wales once; Switzerland once; Ukraine once; Turkey once, with one more this season in Spain and one more next season in Turkey. It seems the Western UEFA members are getting the lion's share of the opportunity of hosting this prestigious cup final.
I can't find a lsit of venues for the Europa League Final but I suspect the pattern to be the same.
All members of UEFA are allowed to bid for these finals, and I see no problem with UEFA sharing them out - in fact they should be sahring them out a bit more than they have done in the past. I'm looking forward to Kazakhstan getting one soon. (Although I'd prefer to see Wales have them in a qualifying group for the Euros or WC first)
Unsure whether such a decision would be wise.
Why should supporters of the finalists have to travel large distances at great cost to themselves and the planet.
Climate change should be a major consideration.
Western European venues would considerably reduce the carbon footprint.
But that's incredibly arrogant. The problem was not going to eastern Europe and only part of the problem was limited travel options to get there, the real issue was the fans were left to the mercy of extortionate travel costs (couldn't the billionaires who own Arsenal and Chelsea support their fans more?) and when they got there were miles away from the pitch.
UEFA trying to spread the game around Europe should be supported but it just didn't work this time.
I wouldn't say Baku was in EASY reach of many UEFA countries at all.
That's as maybe, but I've travelled there twice for football, stayed about 4 days each time and had NO travel issues whatsoever. Flight from UK - Turkey - Azerbaijan, completed in less than 12 hours. If changing a flight in a different country constitutes making a destination not within easy reach, then you're right, it's not within easy reach.
I travelled to Detroit last year, UK-NL-USA. Flying to the USA is not easy...........
you can fly to Baku direct from heathrow. There are 3 or 4 flights regularly every week. more than enough for normal travel needs. It is when there is something 'going on' that it becomes more difficult to get a seat. But that is the same for any non capital/tourist city I expect.
You can guarantee that Arsenal and Chelsea would've sold their 6k allocation two or three times over had it been a CL final. As it was Europa, it was easy for them to turn their nose up at it and not get a connecting flight via a night in Istanbul or Georgia.
Someone on the radio had it right when he said Wolves, Leicester, Newcastle fans would've walked there to make that.
Does that mean it isn't an issue though?
Why is it an issue for Chelsea and Arsenal but wouldn't be for a multitude of other clubs? Are Wolves, Leicester, Newcastle fans a bit more special than Arsenal and Chelsea fans?
I agree other fans would find the distance less of an issue but I'm saying having a final so far away and in a city with no real football herritage just because it's oil rich isn't an ideal situation. Just because the fans of clubs who have fewer cup finals would attend in droves doesn't mean it's an ideal situation does it?
The country has only existed for less than 30 years. Even then one of their stadiums is named after one of the linesmen of the 1966 World Cup Final who was a local (The one who said "that" goal was a goal). So, apart from that, they haven't really had much time to develop a "real football heritage". The distance of travel is immaterial, every club that enters the competition knows that the venue could be anywhere in the UEFA area. The competition is already loaded towards the richer Associations, its about time some of the smaller Associations were given the opportunity. Personally, I don't see the problem. If Cardiff City were in one of the finals, I would drop everything to be there, much like many of us did when Wales were in the Euros in France.
It's far from ideal but by all accounts Baku is a lovely city. I just think people went overboard in slating it personally.
Baku is a fantastic City, rich in history and culture, and with some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen! It has changed drastically over the years, the 1st time I was there, all the taxis were battered Ladas, the 2nd time we went, they were all Mercs. The hotel we stayed in both times has been demolished in favour of some very high class hotels as well now.
Sounds similar to what I've heard from everyone else. Hoping to get out there in November but with Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia it might be a stretch too far.
When I visited two years ago I found the place rather depressing in that the wealth didn't seem to trickle down and the contrast between rich and poor seemed to be enormous. Beyond the wondrous metro system there were women looking poor as church mice transporting their wares in beaten up old prams. Arriving overland into Georgia the situation seemed less extreme. Just my experience.
It's ironic that someone one here stated that Azerbaijan is fairly accessible as, if I remember rightly, most of its border is closed due to disputes with Armenia and Iran.
Oh, and not many cartographers consider Azerbaijan to be in Europe.
My AirBnB in Baku was perhaps a bit less salubrious than your hotel.....
azbog.jpg
The opinion that it is a lovely city is irrelevant for the majority of fans who simply want to travel to watch a game.
Some may want to make a short holiday of it but others may be only able to get a couple of days off work.
The game is a Wednesday night so chances are you'll need more than two days off work wherever it is.Be surprised if you could easily do Madrid with 2 days off work unless you're doing a day trip in and out on a charter flight which is around £800 for fans for the CL final, or flying in last minute on the day of the game, risking missing it and missing everything that comes with such an occasion.
As I said, I'm sure they'd have found the extra day or two holiday had it been the CL Final
Can't disagree with that.
Same with us if we were ever in that position.
So many of us would spend months talking about the various ways we got over there.
Disagree with the big league argument as it would mean Cardiff would never have held it, but the fact that Armenians aren't allowed in the country should mean they couldn't. UEFA know this based on the draws for the Euros mentioning it everytime. I also thought Cardiff were stopped from holding it previously based on transport links being insufficient.
What I will say though is that if Liverpool, Man Utd, Celtic or Rangers were in that final yesterday they would have all taken 50k or so fans.
The decision to let Cardiff host the Champions League final would have had nothing to do with Cardiff City FC.
There was a restriction of 6000 tickets per club.
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