NOT for the first time in recent years, a major UEFA final has ended up in a location that is not equipped to host the showcase event and the biggest losers are the Liverpool fans scrambling to get tickets for the Champions League final in Kiev. NOT for the first time in recent years, a major UEFA final has ended up in a location that is not equipped to host the showcase event and the biggest losers are the Liverpool fans scrambling to get tickets for the Champions League final in Kiev. There is a need for a combination of plenty of big hotels, lots of bars and restaurants, great transport links and a place that is easily accessible to the teams likely to be playing in the Champions League final. I was in Istanbul for Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final win and saw a similar scenario unfolding, with the local touts the biggest winners as they hit the jackpot. We had a similar problem when thousands of Liverpool fans turned up in Basel for the 2016 Europa League final, with a stadium that held just 34,429 deemed worthy of hosting the final of a major competition.

Source: Irish Independent May 22, 2018 17:03 UTC