On Wednesday, June 7, the Fortuna Arena in Prague’s Eden will probably host the second biggest football match in its history. It will be the final of the European Conference League. If the stars agree, there will be a duel between West Ham and Fiorentina.
That would mean huge interest from Czech fans. The scenario is quite realistic. West Ham beat AZ Alkmaar 2:1 in the first match at home. Although Fiorentina lost the opening duel with Basel by the same ratio, it is nevertheless a big favorite on paper and a turnaround is not at all impossible.
It is very likely that Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal will participate in the EKL final. Antonín Barák can also join them. Which for a Czech fan is a very eye-catching bonus to an already interesting final.
Not only would that lead to a Czech trace, but all three mentioned have worn the Slavia jersey in the past. They know Eden so well. That’s pretty interesting, isn’t it? A return to a familiar environment and a possible cup win.
West Ham last achieved similar success 43 years ago when they won the FA Cup in 1980. The Violets last lifted the cup in 2001, after dominating the Italian Cup.
So what is the problem? For this match, the capacity of the stadium will be 19,370. Five thousand will be received by both teams for subsequent distribution among their fans. Three thousand tickets will go on free sale. The rest will be kept by UEFA for its partners, sponsors and other needs.
Can you see it yet? If not, here is one more hint. The 3,000 tickets were sold out by lottery. Yes, the demand for tickets is so high and the number of tickets sold is so low that it was a lottery to decide who got the tickets.
And we move on. Over 60,000 fans go to West Ham on a regular basis. The cup will be played after more than forty years of fasting. The club is already saying that the choice of the stadium for the final was completely pointless and that the demand for tickets far exceeds the supply.
It is necessary to realize that primarily in England, but also in Italy, a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 seats is considered a lot, but very small. To us in the Czech Republic, where 1,100 spectators attend some league matches, it seems like nonsense.
But if you are used to Wembley, Old Trafford, or San Siro, placing the European final in such a small stadium will probably seem like a laughable mistake. Fans started rioting and raging through clubs and social media.
The reaction did not take long. In the future, only a club whose stadium has a capacity of at least 30,000 spectators will be able to compete for the EKL final. At least this is how UEFA’s position looks so far, which recognized the mistake for this year when it assigned the final to Fortuna Arena, as claimed by the English media.
The organizers, on the other hand, are worried about how things will look in the streets of Prague and around the stadium before and during the match. Allegedly, about five thousand fans are going to fly in without a ticket. Try it just in case, or at least for possible post-match celebrations.
The management of West Ham plans to build a fan zone in the immediate vicinity of the Olympic Stadium in London. These would also be large-screens in the Olympic Park, i.e. in a location near the Hammers stand. From the event, the club promises less pressure in the demand for tickets and fewer fans who will travel to Prague even without tickets.
We’ll see how everything turns out. The composition of the final is still uncertain, on the other hand, the venue has been confirmed by UEFA once again that it will definitely not change.
Source: iSport, iDnes
2023-05-17 18:22:30
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