Have UEFA done something... good?
UEFA have announced that they will offer 30,000 free tickets to supporters of clubs who reach the finals of this year's European competitions.
The goodwill gesture has been made to thank supporters
The governing body of European football confirmed the news in a statement on Tuesday, revealing that the gesture is to reward fans for their support during the covid-19 pandemic.
Each of the clubs who receive the tickets will be able to use these to reward their most loyal supporters how they deem best. This could be based on the number of games they have travelled to, longest-serving season ticket holders, etc. and they have stressed these tickets must go to supporters only.
This means club officials, partners and sponsorships will not be entitled to the free tickets.
Each club will receive a different allocation of tickets based on which competition's final they are in. They are as follows:
- Champions League teams will receive 10,000 tickets (5,000 for each side)
- Europa League teams will receive 8,000 tickets (4,000 for each side)
- Conference League teams will receive 6,000 tickets (3,000 for each side)
- Women's Champions League teams will receive 6,000 tickets (3,000 for each side)
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UEFA's statement
UEFA's statement said: "UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin today announced that fans of the participating teams at this year's club competition finals will be offered a substantial number of free tickets for these showcase games to reward them for their support for European football during the COVID crisis.
"Each of the finalist clubs will be able to use these tickets to reward their most loyal supporters (i.e. longest-serving season ticket-holders, those who attended most away games, etc.), but these tickets cannot be given to sponsors, partners or club officials.
"Furthermore, UEFA has also decided to freeze the price of category 4 (€70) and category 3 (€180) tickets for the next three men's UEFA Champions League finals, in 2022, 2023 and 2024, keeping in line with the prices in place since 2020.
"UEFA is fully aware of the current inflationary situation, particularly regarding tickets for sporting events that have undergone significant price hikes over the last few years. By deciding to cap these prices for these prestigious games for at least three seasons, UEFA wishes to send a strong signal to fans and ensure that access is affordable to all.
"UEFA will bear all costs related to this unique one-off initiative and it will not impact the financial distribution to clubs who will receive all due amounts."
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UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin then added: "Football fans are the lifeblood of the game and we thought it would be a nice way to recognise the difficulties they have experienced over the last two years and how they nevertheless still managed to support their teams and live their passion even when away from the stadiums.
"Fans are playing an integral part in the development of football, and we must ensure that loyal travelling supporters can attend historical moments for their cherished teams at affordable prices."
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