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07th May 2008

City Makes Provisions for Ticketless Uefa Cup Fans

Big-hearted bosses at Manchester Council are hoping to put on travel and entertainment for Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg fans that are travelling to the city to watch their teams play in the Uefa cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Although officials last week urged fans not to travel to Manchester without a ticket for the 14th May game, it seems that they have now had a change of heart. While council bosses would still prefer fans of the teams not to travel without a match ticket, they realise that many will do so anyway, so will be putting on entertainment to accommodate them. As a Manchester council spokesperson said: “Realistically, city chiefs know that thousands will want to be near their club during the crucial match.”

Uefa has allocated 13,000 tickets to Russian fans and a similar number to Rangers fans for the 44,000-capacity game. However, tens of thousands of Rangers are expected to make the trip down to Manchester from Glasgow, meaning that the city is expecting to receive up to 100,000 football fans in time for the match.

The council is still undecided over whether to erect giant screens in the city, so ticketless fans will still be able to watch the Uefa Cup match in Manchester. However, they have said that entertainment, as well as food and drink would be made available to supporters in dedicated fan zones that will be housed in a number of locations throughout the city, including Albert Square and Piccadilly Gardens.

Council officials are also encouraging pubs and hotels in the city centre to help them create a fun “carnival atmosphere” for both sets of supporters. Councillor Pat Karney said that the match day is bound to be “fantastic”, but asked supporters to behave themselves during their time in the city. He said: “It's going to be a fantastic busy day and we are making plans so that everyone can enjoy themselves. Fans will be ambassadors for their clubs and their cities, so our message to them is, 'Please don't let down your home city'.”

In addition to these dedicated fan zones, a series of three-a-side football tournaments has been organised to take place in Castlefield and there will also be a fleet of shuttle buses that can take fans from the city centre to the stadium.

Gerry Donnellan, who works with Greater Manchester Police, stated that it was up to the whole city to ensure a successful match day. He said: “Everyone in Manchester has a part to play in creating an enjoyable and busy atmosphere. We want pubs and hotel to be open and to be properly staffed so that we can give visitors a proper welcome. We want to deliver a successful event for everyone who lives and works in Manchester and for our visitors.”

Source:

BBC