Rangers supporters from Lanarkshire are being urged to share their experiences of watching their team in the Europa League Final by an organisation that fights for the rights of football fans across the continent.
Social media channels have been awash with reports of fans having to go without water for hours in scorching heat Football Supporters Europe (FSE) are now calling on those who were there to share any issues they had within the stadium, ticketing or stewarding.
Numerous fan reports claim that stewards confiscated bottled water from them as they entered the Ramon Sanchez-Pijuan stadium where the Glasgow side took on Eintracht Frankfurt.
Parched Gers fans who then turned to kiosks inside to buy water were then frustrated when it quickly ran out.
They then had to drink water from the toilets before the supply from the taps then went off.
There were also problems with transport getting to and from the stadium and around the city.
Dal from Shotts was one of those who shared their experiences on social media, saying that many fans had walked to the stadium from the city centre in searing temperatures with some arriving hours before kick off.
He branded the facilities and organisation at the stadium “disgraceful”, saying: “For a UEFA showcase final, in fact for any game, it was disgraceful – verging on downright dangerous, and without being over dramatic, life threatening!”
Supporters of cup winners Eintracht have also reported similar issues.
Sevilla FC, the La Liga side which hosted the final in their stadium, said that despite kiosks stocking more water than normal it quickly sold out.
They club released a statement claiming that efforts by staff to re-stock kiosks were hindered by over-zealous supporters eager to get their hands on liquids.
It said: “The club tried to replenish the water at the bars, but the fans literally assaulted the employees who were in charge of replenishing before the bottles as they tried to reach the bars, then finally it was necessary to close them.
“Fans were able to drink drinking water from the taps in the toilets.”
However they also claimed that because the taps were all open at the same it caused a supply failure as a pump was unable deal with the simultaneous demand, but the service was restored after a few minutes.
The BBC later reported that UEFA had issued an apology to fans: “Even though the quantity of food and beverages planned by concessionaires was much bigger than what is usually served during a domestic sold out match at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium, it still was not enough to meet the extraordinary demand of the day and UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to fans for the inconvenience created.”
Fans can have their say via the FSE survey which can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BFM7TWD
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