Authorities in Baku ordered the turnstiles to be opened during the first half of the Europa League final so that some of the empty seats would be filled. The decision, taken without Uefa’s authorisation, is believed to have come about because the authorities in Azerbaijan were embarrassed by the thousands of empty seats on television pictures that were seen around the world on Wednesday night. Chelsea and Arsenal had both returned about half of the 6,000 tickets that each club had been given to sell to fans. The lack of demand was put down to the distance that supporters had to travel, the difficulty in finding direct and convenient flights and the cost. Charter flights laid on by Thomas Cook Sport were priced at almost… Want to read more? Subscribe now and get unlimited digital access on web and our smartphone and tablet apps, free for your first month.
Azerbaijani authorities ordered the turnstiles in Baku Olympic Stadium to be opened for free during the Europa League final in an effort to fill its empty seats. The decision, which was taken without authorisation from UEFA, followed criticism that the location of the match was impractical and inconvenient. UEFA has since confirmed it will not allow any such move at future European Championship finals.