Chelsea vs Arsenal: Uefa hold no serious concerns over unsegregated rival fans in Europa League final

Arsenal and Chelsea, who both qualified for the final on Thursday night, have each been officially allocated only 6,000 tickets for the match in the 68,700-seater Baku Olympic Stadium

Uefa had already discussed issues of security around the Europa League final with Chelsea and Arsenal before their semi-final ties, and is not seriously concerned by the likely prospect of fans of the two London clubs mixing in unsegregated sections of the stadium in Baku.

Arsenal and Chelsea, who both qualified for the final on Thursday night, have each been officially allocated only 6,000 tickets for the match in the 68,700-seater Baku Olympic Stadium on 29 May. Thousands more are expected to travel to the Azerbaijani capital and many are expected to acquire tickets outside their club’s marked sections.

Uefa have sold a number of tickets through a ballot process, with successful applications already being informed that they have been successful. The rest will go to the local organising committee, Uefa and national associations, commercial partners, broadcasters and corporate hospitality.

Segregation has been enforced at the top level of English football since the 1970s. European finals have often seen fans mixed together on an occasion which tends to be less vitriolic than domestic football matches, but this will be the first time two English clubs from the same city have met in one of Europe’s showpiece events.

Uefa had begun planning for the possibility of an all-English final in the past few weeks, consulting with both clubs as well as the Azeri Football Association and local police, and is confident of avoiding any conflict between two sets of fans.

In a statement, Uefa told The Independent: “The safety and security of all participants, visitors and partners is the number one priority for Uefa for all its matches and competitions. Since the beginning of the 2019 Uefa Europa League Final project, we have worked closely with the Azeri Football Association, the local organising committee, the police, governmental agencies and authorities in Baku to ensure that all the necessary arrangements are made to provide a safe and secure environment for this match.

“We had already discussed security arrangements with the potential participating clubs ahead of the semi-finals and will further collaborate with the finalists on the matter until the final.”

Fans of Arsenal and Chelsea have backed a joint statement made by supporters’ groups of Tottenham and Liverpool – the two Champions League finalists – criticising Uefa over pricing and allocation of tickets, and raising their concerns over vast prices for accommodation and travel.

A joint statement issued by the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust and Spirit of Shankly read: ”Our joy at reaching the final is tempered by the prices of travel, accommodation, and tickets, and by the allocation of tickets.

“Prices of flights to Madrid and surrounding towns have rocketed by up to 840%. Hotel rooms are over £1,000 a night and we are hearing stories of room bookings being cancelled and resold at vastly inflated rates.

“Ticket prices of in excess of £500 are also extortionate. And there needs to be transparency from Uefa and our clubs in how tickets are priced and allocated.”

The Arsenal Supporters Trust backed the statement issued. “This is an excellent statement by Spirit of Shankly. AST backs every word. We are working with them and all supporters groups to fight the disgraceful way that Uefa treats supporters. Not just at finals but at every stage. The 6pm kick off just another example.”