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UEFA rejects ticket concern Fans sing in Dortmund rain ahead of UEFA Cup final
Updated: Wednesday May 16, 2001 2:53 PM
DORTMUND, Germany (Reuters) -- UEFA officials rejected concerns on Wednesday that Liverpool fans would be able to buy spare tickets for the Alaves section of the Westfalenstadion for the UEFA Cup final. "We cannot sell tickets in a segregated area. Security considerations are more important than a gap in the stands," UEFA spokesman Mike Lee told Reuters. Lee said fewer than 4,000 of the tickets for the designated Alaves section of the stadium remained unsold while some 7,000 tickets had been taken up by fans of the tiny Basque club. Liverpool sold its full allocation of 15,000 tickets. However, several hundred tickets that had been booked but not paid for in non-segregated areas of the ground had gone on sale in Dortmund, but Lee said these should pose no security risk. Lee admitted there was the possibility of Liverpool fans who had travelled to Dortmund without tickets gaining access to the ground by buying tickets on the black market, but not on a large scale. 'Around any big game there is always an element of black market. But there is no evidence of this occuring on a large scale. We are doing our best to ensure that security measures are kept in place,' he said. Fans would also be checked on their way into the ground and Liverpool fans who have bought tickets on the black market for non-segregated areas should be turned away, UEFA said. The match is Liverpool's first European final since the club was banned from European competition after 39 fans were killed when a wall collapsed in Belgium's Heysel stadium in May 1985. Fans celebrate in Dortmund rainDORTMUND, Germany -- Liverpool and Alaves fans filled Dortmund's Westfalenstadion with cheering and singing on Wednesday ahead of the UEFA Cup final after a day of good-humored eating and drinking in the city center. Even bursts of rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the two sets of fans who strung the home ground of Germany's Borussia Dortmund with flags and banners in Liverpool's red and white colors and the blue and white of the little-known Basque side. The peaceful atmosphere was in stark contrast to the pitched battles between Galatasaray and Arsenal fans in Copenhagen ahead of last year's UEFA Cup final, won by the Turkish side. The match is Liverpool's first European final since the club was banned from European competition after 39 Juventus fans were killed when a wall collapsed in Belgium's Heysel stadium in May 1985 after rioting with Liverpool fans. The German police, who see the game as an early test of their tactics ahead of the World Cup here in 2006, said they believed their strategy of encouraging the two sets of fans to mix freely ahead of the game had helped promote a good atmosphere. "The idea of getting fans to celebrate together has worked well. Up until now everything has been peaceful apart from a few minor alcohol-related events," said police spokesman Wilhelm Huesch as fans stood in line to enter the stadium. "If the World Cup turns out like it's been today, it will be a really great festival," Huesch said. Party atmosphereSome of the 2,000 police on duty joined the party atmosphere, several wearing Liverpool or Alaves scarves and one even had his face painted in Liverpool red. "For 30 years until Heysel we went without trouble. The reputation of Liverpool fans is that they are really friendly and hopefully we're back on track," said Charles Sciberras, head of the Liverpool fan club in Malta. Police only reported one disturbance overnight in a hotel in the town of Witten outside Dortmund where a small group of drunken English fans briefly got out of control. Police said they were expecting some 20,000 Liverpool fans and up to 10,000 Alaves supporters for the match. The rest of the stadium's 51,000 seats were likely to be filled by German locals. UEFA officials earlier rejected concerns that Liverpool fans would be able to buy spare tickets for the Alaves section of the Westfalenstadion, saying security was more important to organizers than a gap in the stands. However, several hundred tickets that had been booked but not paid for in non-segregated areas of the ground did go on sale in Dortmund and UEFA spokesman Mike Lee admitted there was the possibility of Liverpool fans without tickets getting into the ground by buying them on the black market. Several ticket touts were mobbed by fans outside the stadium ahead of the game as police tried to break up the trade. Intermittent rain showers did not dampen the atmosphere and even encouraged the Liverpool fans to sing louder. "When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high," they sang as the first line of the club anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone." One male Liverpool fan, wearing a red bikini plus white stockings and suspenders, jumped into a fountain in the middle of Dortmund and was rewarded with a huge roar from fans. Another entered the stadium clad just in red women's underwear. The Alaves fans, many carrying Basque flags, sang "Campeones, campeones" (Champions, champions) reveling in their club's first European final. Raul Gomez, an Alaves fan wearing a traditional Basque cap, said the atmosphere reminded him of home. "It's like the street festivals back in Vitoria," he enthused before proudly showing his name on the special blue and yellow shirt the club had had made for the final. The names of all Alaves' 13,000 season-ticket holders are printed in small letters on the shirt. "The Liverpool fans have been really nice and the atmosphere has been great," Gomez said. "I hope we're going to win the final but to be honest just being here is a prize in itself." Big police presenceLiverpool fans were confident the favorites would pull through over the little-known Basque side. "It's going to be tough but I think we will be able to do it the way we came back against Arsenal on Saturday. Michael Owen is unstoppable. I reckon he'll get two and it'll be 3-1," said 18-year-old Rachel Forshaw, wearing a red and white Liverpool shirt. Owen scored the two goals that handed Liverpool a 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final on Saturday against Arsenal in Cardiff. "Liverpool are going to win 2-I. I'm very excited," said eight-year-old Kieran Towner from Surrey, in Dortmund with his father. "This is really special for me because last time I saw Liverpool in the final I was only eight too. It was 1966 against Dortmund in Hamburg. It was wonderful," said Kieran's father Bill.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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