For obvious reasons I haven’t taken much notice of this

Oh, that's all irrelevant nowadays, I'm afraid. The game has so many alternative revenue streams that no-one cares about the atmosphere at the ground. Even if they just fill the place up with global sportswear, hotel chain and airline marketing company junketeers on a sort of busman's holiday, that'll do.

Maybe the developments passed us by but the fact is that hardly anybody actually watches football matches on television anymore, yet interest in and information about, even involvement in said games has apparently never been higher.

You can sit down in front of your Panasonic TV in your Nike socks and follow it on Twitter at the same time and bet on the outcome on your iphone while checking for decent car insurance deals on your Sony laptop and sipping a Heineken or a Pepsi, paying for your pizza delivery with your Mastercard, watching a movie on Netflix. The fact is, you are contributing to Mesut Özil's wages whether you can actually be bothered to watch him aimlessly, pointlessly stroll about the pitch or not. Football is merely the honey pot that attracts all the money.

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Originally Posted by Sir C

I have no problem with pricing the product at the market rate but this seems to me to be deliberately excluding the supporters of the competing clubs, which will surely prove counter-productive when the TV audience is disappointed by the lack of atmosphere on display, and ceases to cough quite so enthusastically for the product?

And holidn ithe final in a country which cannot guarantee the safety of one of our players because of his nationality is just mind-boggling.

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Hmm, so there is some reaction from the club, at least.

Statement from Arsenal Football Club:

“Everyone at Arsenal is delighted to have reached the Uefa Europa League final and we are all very much looking forward to the match against Chelsea on Wednesday, May 29.

"However, 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 have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns.

"On behalf of our fans, 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."

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Originally Posted by Sir C

One of their players has picked up a bad injury, apparently. It wasn't one I'd heard of though.

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You've not heard of current England international, Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sir C

Hmm, so there is some reaction from the club, at least.

Statement from Arsenal Football Club:

“Everyone at Arsenal is delighted to have reached the Uefa Europa League final and we are all very much looking forward to the match against Chelsea on Wednesday, May 29.

"However, 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 have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns.

"On behalf of our fans, 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."

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We always lose in Russia*, btw.


*I know it's not actually Russia, but it is really.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IUFG

You've not heard of current England international, Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

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Oh hang on. I've heard of him. Largely because of his tremendously unlikely name.

That's very nice but one is forced to wonder why everyone didn't express those same concerns a couple of years ago when the venue was chosen :rubchin: #UEFA #MoneyLaundering

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sir C

Hmm, so there is some reaction from the club, at least.

Statement from Arsenal Football Club:

“Everyone at Arsenal is delighted to have reached the Uefa Europa League final and we are all very much looking forward to the match against Chelsea on Wednesday, May 29.

"However, 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 have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns.

"On behalf of our fans, 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."

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