Reply With QuoteBaku is within easy reach of many UEFA Countries, just not the far western ones.
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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)
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?
Can't disagree with that.
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?
It's far from ideal but by all accounts Baku is a lovely city. I just think people went overboard in slating it personally.
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.
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.
Good points
But when one of the players is banned due to his nationality is it really an ideal location?
That, I will agree with.Good points
But when one of the players is banned due to his nationality is it really an ideal location?
Although I thought he made the decision himself rather than being banned.
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.
I'd say he made the right decision based on how unsafe it is for Armenians, even people with his name on their shirts were getting grief.That, I will agree with.
Although I thought he made the decision himself rather than being banned.
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.
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
Yeah, as if you know anything about cartography.. pft!
That airbnb is great
Sounds like the UK.
Azerbaijan isn't in Europe, but neither are about 5 other countries that compete in UEFA competitions.
As for ease of travel, I had no problem on the both ocassions I went there. UK - Turkey - Azerbaijan.
Most of the complaints about the location seem to be coming from the usual shouty sweary radio phone in presenters who think the universe revolves around dear old Blighty and Johnny Foreigner has no right to a piace of the pie.
Don't have pics, but that is about the state of our hotel. That's probably why it was demolished.
Why don’t they play it in China or Japan, make it a lot easier for most of the local fans of the big clubs to get there
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