Bilbao braced for final that could overwhelm the city

With 80,000 fans on the way many paying scandalous’ prices tomorrow’s Europa League match is raising fresh questions over host selection

- writes Miguel Delaney

It is 7am on Sunday morning at Gatwick airport, three days before the Europa League final, and there are already a lot of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur shirts. Some are travelling to Bilbao this early because flights are almost a thousand pounds cheaper.

A few have friends on connections hundreds of miles in the opposite direction, through Malaga and even Marrakesh. A group are getting the 35-hour ferry from Portsmouth. Some are only in Bilbao for the game itself, due to a total lack of accommodation. Even hostels are going for £550.

Spurs fan Adam Nathan talks of “spending the best part of another season ticket to attend the game”. “Planning the trip was made difficult by the scandalous pricing of direct flights and limited accommodation,” adds Dale O’Donnell, a United fan. “We looked at all the routes, before deciding to fly to Bordeaux. We’ll leave in the early hours after the game.”

Bilbao is simply a brilliant city, as well as a brilliant football city, with a great stadium too. But its infrastructure isn’t quite equipped for 80,000 fans, or more, arriving. That’s almost a quarter of its own population. Bilbao could be overwhelmed, diluting much of its good.

And while prices are always going to rise for major events, this has been up there with the worst in recent years. That’s all the more remarkable given this is a trip to northern Spain.

“There is profiteering everywhere but, with so little time to book, it’s just wrong that this happens every final,” says Barney Chilton of the Red News fanzine. “I’m not sure what Uefa can do, but surely something. The majority get royally done over just wanting to see their team in a rare European final.”