The build-up to the Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea is being mired in controversy and all because of the utter incompetence of UEFA.
There is the ridiculous ticket allocation, security fears over Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the almost criminal fleecing of the fans to name just a few of the issues that the decision by UEFA to hold the final Baku has caused.
Arsenal football club is not at all happy and has expressed their disappointment with UEFA in a statement released today.
Statement in full
“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.”
Then there is the absolutely unforgivable situation of Henrikh Mkhitaryan possibly missing the final due to the political situation in Azerbaijan.
It is utter madness that UEFA did not see this coming but of course, money is their driving force and not player security.
In terms of injury updates, it is our opponents that have paid the cost for the stupid decision to play a friendly in the USA just a few days after the domestic season has finished and two weeks before the final, I mean, who does that?
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to miss the final due to an ankle injury suffered against New England last night.
Can you imagine what we would have said to the Arsenal management if they would have made such a boneheaded decision?
Ah well, not our problem.
That is it for updates on the Europa League final but no doubt there will be more news over the next 13 days and we will bring it to you as it comes in.
The good thing is Chelsea players might not want EL trophy as much as us, since they have secured one CL spot. At least one of the potential threats in set pieces, Loftus-Cheek, will not play against us
Arsenal just need to prepare a plan to contain Giroud’s aerial prowess. His hold-up play would be dangerous as well since he will be accompanied by two deadly wingers, as what he has in France national football team
Had Giroud had similar setup and skilled wingers at Arsenal, perhaps he would thrive and would not be replaced by Lacazette. Now Arsenal need to find another target man that can score in corners
Lacazette would easily have replaced Giroud
He had a skilled winger in Alexis and was miserable. In fact in 2015-2016 he went on a 12 match non scoring streak with a skilled winger and an on form Ozil with 19 assists that season. Giroud cost us the premier league that season
Lacazette would have won us the premier league that season
Does anyone know if Kante is still injured? We’ll have a massive advantage should he miss the final.
Just been reading an interesting article that says Sarri will keep the Chelsea job if they beat us in the final. If they lose, Sarri will be sacked and Chelsea will bring in Lampard. I wonder who the players and fans would rather have in charge next season………..?
I read they’re eyeing up Javi Gracia!!
Sorry to slightly differ with the “bonehead” word used. I would use “corrupt” instead. Uefa and Fifa are both cancerously corrupt right through their stinking filth. UEFA knew exactly what they were doing and just did not care. That is plainly the truth. People who are administers at that level are not stupid -they would not have attained that level of position if they were – but they ARE corrupt to their core. When in living memory have either of these two scumbag corporations shown a single iota of care for ordinary fans? Never!
So pray , do not be naive and fooled so easily, but open your eyes to what is constantly staring us all in the face and have the courage and love for real truth to call a spade a spade. For ” spade” read “turd”!
These turds only manage to keep existing because cunning and clever( rather than stupid) men think only of themselves, power and money. They would not recognise a moral if one bit them! And it is almost always men, not women, who are corrupt. They care nothing for the sport itself, for us little people either but only for our money and they bleed us dry. Anyone who is too naive or short sighted to think, really think , that these creeps are stupid, rather than morally corrupt, is fooling themselves on a grand scale. They are thieves, just about within the actual law, even though they sail close to the wind, but THIEVES all the same.
We on here and in all social media are charged with combating and calling out these scumbags. It is our duty if we truly love top level football and truly wish to reclaim it as the honest sport it was many decades ago. Only cowards just moan but DO NOTHING. Personally speaking, I scorn cowards whether on the pitch, in football admin/ ownership or in any other walk of life. All the historical changes that have ever improved our world have started with ONE person initially and as many others joining in too, as possible. Whether Einstein, Emmeline Pankhurst, William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale or any other bloody minded but brave individual, a total refusal to be a coward has changed the world and can do with football too. So act , do not merely moan and yourself be one of those special people who make things better for all. At the very least join in in DOING something. And stop pretending they are merely stupid but honest. You know they are not!
Jon, an excellent piece on football’s governing bodies, agree with everything you have said.
One name I would have added to your list is Nelson Mandela for obvious reasons.
I would love to see both clubs come together and veto the final, citing security issues and also find out where the other 48,000 tickets are going.
By the way, I did acknowledge receipt of my season ticket, but that post, along with one regarding Ozil, seems to have been deleted.
I wonder whether a boycott could have been on the cards had Arsenal qualified along with Chelsea for CL football via the PL. I have my doubts but would have made any calls for a boycott more interesting.
I don’t see a lot that fans can do about Baku unless both sets of supporters agree to stay away. I’d love to see both The Emirates and Stamford Bridge open for the game with equal number of tickets at each venue available for each set of fans. Charge a fiver and donate all proceeds to charity.
Although Chelsea are showing it, Arsenal are not screening the game as they are installing more seats….. at club level.
Yes Ken, of course Mandela was perhaps the best of all examples. I was concentrating on British icons, though perhaps I should not have done. I would add Gandhi too.
Great idea to suggest a boycott, though we all know it would never happen, more is the pity. I have always believed in direct action to change bad policy. CALLING OUT WRONG DOERS IS ONLY THE FIRST STAGE, TO GARNER OTHERS OF SAME MIND. ACTION IS THEN NEEDED. I firmly believe teams who receive racist abuse should walk off the pitch. Only then will it be taken seriously by the non caring creatures who administer football. On the wider scale of vital importance, racism is to football as Henry is to Gus Caesar for Arsenal. The pity is that only some who are not ethnic realise that truth. Relieved that the S/T arrived safely and thanks for letting me know.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will often steal the headlines, and rightly so – he did win the Golden Boot. But Lacazette has scored key goals at very key moments for the Gunners, making him the club’s real MVP. His 13-goal tally for the season looks very unflattering for a player of his ability but if he continues to find the back of the net in vital games, Unai Emery won’t mind one bit – and he may yet have a big part to play in Baku later this month.
? Laca is a big game player!
I’m glad we have both Lacazette and Aubameyang
I’m ecstatic we have both Lacazette and Aubameyang. \(^_^)/
Lacazette!!! He’s a worthy winner for player of the season, I didn’t vote for him but unlike some, I don’t presume to know it all. That isn’t a dig at anyone.
This next one is a slight dig at a fair number of people. I here often people saying throw the youngsters in, sure they couldn’t possibly do much worse. It is good if people have real belief in our academy players, if they believe in them more so than some full international players, that is their opinion and they have every right to it.
However, this is Iwobi’s first season in being a genuine first team player, it’s the first season that we’ve heavily relied on him to make any difference. Bellerin, he was also put through the ringer, despite being young and despite the fact that there was and still is stuff to learn. Despite many things, Iwobi should be trying to dispose of another (vie) rather than having the mantle just fall on him. Bellerin being a youngster would benefit from have a settled defence and some good cover. Neither player had that so it was a bit sink or swim, they both still have much to learn and they have plenty of time to do it in. Chambers was similar, decent start but as soon as his form dipped the fans did not hold back. Holding, great/good first season, went off the rails in the second, and the fans followed/lead him down the cliff. I’m very wary when I hear fans saying: go on, stick Nelson, Smith, Saka (16), Willock, Nketiah, stick em all in, how many of them would realistically meet our expectations if thrown in together, ahead of full international players, and what expectations would you have for them. Would it be to make the difference up on City and Pool, make the CL, win a bit of silverware, or would it be as long as he’s better at his own job than the guy he replaced, well then our results on the field wont make me turn on the player. I’m not sure if my expectations would be high, my hopes would be massive, but expectedly I would be imagining a few needing to be taken out of the firing line.
I am interested in what you call a “youngster” . A 23 year old is clearly not a youngster in todays football at all. I agree that your central theme is correct but the devil as ever is in the detail of who IS or is NOT a real youngster. It is more actual first team experience whether at Arsenal or on loan that is relevant more than MERE physical age, I would suggest!
He’s also in double figures for assists. 13 goals and 11 assists in 31 games is a good return for a player that has been substituted about 70% of the time
They do this with every final, they screw the real fans who travel all year in support of their club or nation. Mostly the tickets go to people who know people, and others who get extorted when trying to find someone who’s selling them. It should be that the fans traveling around Europe and around England that get them, how can choose to give so many tickets away to people that are only showing up because it’s a final, or to people because they work for the football authorities or know someone who does. I never understood why a fraction only goes to the club. The same with the world cup and the likes. I was talking with a lad who supports Ireland and follows them everywhere and he never misses a game, but the Irish authorities done this with a match and he had to jump through hoops before he could get one, it just sounded wrong, his buddies who travel couldn’t all get them and instead it was people working for the association that took their place or possibly scalped them.
We are watching and waiting on that money decision from UEFA…..
Arsenal all the way with winnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
UEFA are craze!!!!!!
As for Chelsea, we beating them, full stop!
Being honest I struggle to get excited about arsenal at the moment
Poultry 45m budget 75 if we make the CL
And rumours of unheard of players coming
If we make the CL what ? With better teams we got battered what would Bayern or Barca do to us
What is your point? Don’t you want us to qualify for CL through Europa? Those teams which you are tipping to trounce Arsenal should we qualify for CL may not be superior to the teams we beat in Europa such as Valencia and Napoli. In fact if we win Europa we shall be prepared for Champions League and I see us doing well in the competition.
Bayern and Barca not better than Valencia or Napoli
Hahahhahahhaj
You clearing ignored the last 10 years of football
You have to be joking no ones that daft
Who has said that Arsenal will get the two teams if it wins Europa and moves to CL? Besides if the two are super teams why aren’t they the ones in the CL final? Have you forgotten so fast what Liverpool did to Barcelona? Arsenal has what it takes to compete favourably in Europe. Why not if Spurs is in the CL final?
Geek’s winger leandro Trossard has been signed!!…no jokes!!
Even on YouTube he’s just only ok ?