(Reuters) – Europea League finalists Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers will work with UEFA and Spanish authorities on the problems faced by fans at this year’s showpiece in Seville, they said on Monday.
Supporters at the May 18 final, which Frankfurt won 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time, reported a lack of food and water despite rising temperatures.
Fans also encountered other organisational problems including policing and body searches.
“These issues could easily have led to even more severe problems on the night,” the clubs said https://www.rangers.co.uk/article/seville-supporter-update-3005/1WSXjhLZzBStxvwuwXVb6M in a joint statement issued with the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group.
“It was only thanks to the calmness and mutual respect of both sets of fans towards each other that there were not more severe injuries suffered.”
UEFA was not immediately available to comment.
They added that the fans’ expectations were not met at the final hosted in the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
“Fans spend a lot of effort, time and money following their teams all over Europe and expect to be treated with respect and dignity while attending football games,” the statement added.
(Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
