UEFA, the Spanish police and authorities in Seville have agreed to host Rangers fans travelling to the city without a ticket for the Europa League final, say the club; UEFA previously urged fans without a ticket for the clash against Frankfurt not to travel to Spain
Tuesday 17 May 2022 15:52, UK
Rangers say UEFA, the Spanish police and local authorities in Seville have agreed to host supporters travelling to the city without a ticket for Wednesday's Europa League final.
UEFA had previously urged fans without a ticket for Rangers' game against Frankfurt at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan not to travel to Seville.
However, Rangers say their supporters not attending the final will be able to buy €10 tickets to watch the match at the La Cartuja Stadium in Seville.
The stadium - which can hold up to 60,000 people - will have a fan meeting area and fan viewing area, with Rangers saying it is the best option for supporters in the city without a ticket to the match.
"Bars and restaurants of Seville are welcoming our travelling support but fans should be aware that there are very limited options for viewing the match in the city centre and La Cartuja is the best option for our supporters travelling without tickets," read a Rangers statement.
"The city centre fan meeting point (Alameda de Hercules) will not be showing the match. As such, it is strongly recommended only for supporters with tickets to the game."
Rangers and Frankfurt have received just 10,000 tickets each for the final at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, which seats over 40,000 people.
Rangers are expecting tens of thousands of fans to travel to Seville for the clash with Frankfurt and Stewart Robertson, the club's managing director, earlier this week urged supporters to "respect the city".
The game is Rangers' first European final since being beaten by Zenit St Petersburg in the UEFA Cup - the Europa League's predecessor - 14 years ago in Manchester, when trouble was reported in the city.
Robertson is keen to avoid a repeat of those scenes, telling Rangers fans: "To supporters with or without tickets: go and enjoy yourself. Go and enjoy the occasion. I remember in 2008 thinking, 'will I see Rangers in a European final again?'
"Here we are. It is fantastic. Go and be a good ambassador for Rangers. We are going to a beautiful city - go and enjoy the city but let's go and do it in the right way.
"Regardless of numbers, go and do it, respect the city, respect the locals. There will be people going about their day-to-day business."
Rangers also confirmed earlier this week they will not be hosting a screen at Ibrox for fans in Scotland to watch the final due to safety concerns.
A statement said: "Whilst we understand the wish for supporters to be able to gather at our home for this momentous occasion, the club does not have sufficient staffing resources to be able to host such a large event due to the number of qualified staff and personnel required to travel to Spain to assist in the safe delivery of the final. We could not safely operate an event of this size without the presence of our safety team, all of whom are required in Spain.
"Given the significant UEFA regulatory demands, we are required to deploy our full safety team in Seville, given the anticipated travelling support. This was not an easy decision but it is vital we ensure the safety of the team, management and travelling support in Spain.
"We acknowledge and understand the disappointment and frustration of non-travelling supporters, but there was no safe way of delivering a matchday screening."
