Soccer: Spend 574 pounds to watch Champions League final

Resham Ahmed May 6, 2011 0

Soccer: Spend 574 pounds to watch Champions League final

LONDON: Manchester United fans are in a big fix. They will have to pay a handsome amount of 574 pounds if they want to see the Red Devils taking on Spanish giants Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League 2011 final at Wembley on May 28.

Barcelona vs Manchester United

Michel Platini, UEFA President, has already apologised to the soccer fans for expensive tickets for the Champions League final which range between 80 pounds to 300 pounds. Interestingly, the cheapest value for the 11,000 tickets on general sale was 150 pounds. Although, Platini has promised a ticket-pricing-review ahead of the next season, the local fans are making a hue and cry ahead of the big final at Wembley.

The 25,000 tickets allocated by the UEFA to each club are valued at 300 pounds, 225 pounds, 150 pounds, and 80 pounds while another 25,000 tickets are accounted for by the UEFA Football Family.

This is not the first time that an English Premier League fan would be paying a high price for watching the game but the real issue is that the original ticket price of 225 pounds is not what he has to pay to get to the Wembley.

The only one way for Manchester United’s fans to get a seat for the Champions League final on the open market was to pay as much as 574 pounds for a return coach trip and dinner.

The tickets are available with the Thomas Cook Sport, United’s sponsors, who are selling packages at his huge price. As per the package, the soccer fans will get the bus trip down the M6 to Wembley, stopping at the Le Gavroche en route, at a price of 349 pounds. Too expensive, isn’t it?

A spokesman of the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust told British media, “It is only a small number of tickets but it’s the principle. To get a ticket for the Champions League final from the club you either have to be a season-ticket holder who has been to all the cup games and, preferably, all the Champions League away games. Then you take your chances in the ballot. Or you can pay a large amount for a coach trip that guarantees you a ticket.”