Europa League Final

[Filo]

Half empty stadium, fans miles from the pitch, no atmosphere, camera man must be filming from the the moon, and the football is shite

[redarmy82]

Just a UEFA roadshow and a jolly for the sponsors.

[silent majority]

You mean this view.......

[since-1969]

Half empty stadium, fans miles from the pitch, no atmosphere, camera man must be filming from the the moon, and the football is shite

Surly a change of rules to allow for teams from the same country to play at the nearest country available . France Spain Holland Portugal etc all easier cheaper and more football friendly. Bacu where the f** is that !

[RobTheRover]

You mean this view.......

UEFA need their heads looking at.   Ridiculous decision to play the game there. I've heard next year's Europa League Final is being hosted on the far side of the moon, as its easier to get to than Baku

[Bentley Bullet]

.......And there's more atmosphere.

[jackthelad]

Worst final ever. Terrible from UEFA also.

[graingrover]

It shows the disdain and lack of respect that the FIFA and EUEFA authorities have for the real fans .TV armchair fans provide the money but without the passion of fans in attendance the spectacle is dead .

[Bezza]

It's like a subbuteo pitch on a cricket field,

[Metalmicky]

Now 3:1 to Chelsea....

[Metalmicky]

Make that 4:1

[bobbymax]

Result is almost immaterial. Football and its fans are the losers!

Expect a repeat at the Qatar World Cup - this is what happens when money is put before the game!

[PDX_Rover]

You mean this view.......

Well at least they sorted that drainage problem in the lower field... away over there...

[graingrover]

Gdańsk is a great venue ..an important port city that has been a strategic key of power politics throughout history ,culturally rich and more importantly Poland deserves this !

[Donnywolf]

... true and eminently more sensible than Baku as a venue.

[bobjimwilly]

Expect a repeat at the Qatar World Cup - this is what happens when money is put before the game!

FIFA are an embarrasment of an organisation; how they got away with choosing Qatar as a suitable host country and continue to avoid serious investigation considering the appalling breaches of human rights affecting the foreign workers who are building the stadia and infrastructure is staggering

[Drover]

Don't they have a fit and proper persons test to run FIFA or UEFA? or is it just who gets most the votes,not who has proof of money,just who can give biggest backhanders?

[Boomstick]

Gdańsk is a great venue ..an important port city that has been a strategic key of power politics throughout history ,culturally rich and more importantly Poland deserves this !

Deserves it more than Georgia?
Strange comment saying a country deserves to host a final.
What makes them deserve it over any other?

[VivaRovers]

Baku was selected as the venue for the final back in September 2017 so it's interesting to see how this has only became a disgrace/ridiculous etc. the moment two Premier League teams made the final.

I suppose it fits with the continued view that things don't matter in football until they start to affect Premier League clubs/fans

[BillyStubbsTears]

Viva

There is a point here though (and Lord knows I don't lose much sleep over PL fans but...)

In the past 10 years, out of 20 EL finalists, only one has come from east of Marseilles.

That was Dnipro.

Even for them, it's significantly quicker and cheaper to fly from Dnipropetrovsk to London, Munich, Paris or Milan than it is to fly to Baku.

It was a very odd choice of venue. I'm sure the fact that Baku is swimming in oil had nowt to do with it...

[IDM]

It’s a tricky one..

Do Eufa share out the finals across any member nations, or do they stick to those near to or where the richer more successful clubs come from.?

[VivaRovers]

Oh don't get me wrong, it's an unsuitable venue choice in terms of ease to reach, and was clearly influenced by the money available in Baku.

But my point was that there was no fuss or noise about this choice - announced almost two years ago - until Arsenal and Chelsea reached the final.

[elmsallrover]

Don't care were the European finals are we will never be in one

[silent majority]

And let's not forget Baku is a venue for Euro 2020, it's hosting three group games and a quarter final.

England played there some years ago, apart from the rain and wind it was a decent trip.

But, every member of UEFA has a right to host a final, but they should take the distance and facilities, hotels etc, into account. They very rarely do.

[drfchound]

Free jollies for the officials to far flung places might have an influence.

[sheffield exile1]

.......And there's more atmosphere.

Especially on the Dark Side of the Moon...Wembley Arena 1973 Brilliant...

[Chris Black come back]

And let's not forget Baku is a venue for Euro 2020, it's hosting three group games and a quarter final.

England played there some years ago, apart from the rain and wind it was a decent trip.

But, every member of UEFA has a right to host a final, but they should take the distance and facilities, hotels etc, into account. They very rarely do.

It is a tough call. I am sure there was potentially some morally or financially dubious practice involved in the selection, but we cannot always have finals in same five or six large and convinetly located nations every year. Azeri, Cypriot and Moldovan associations have same rights as English and Spanish. Admittedly looks bad when two English teams make final but that as history shows very rarely happens.