Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
By Jon Clarke in Bilbao
ENGLISH football fans were flying into all parts of Spain, as well as Portugal and France, in order to make the all-Premiership Europa League final this week.
Aficionados of both Spurs and Manchester United were having to be creative in their travel plans in order to make it to the massive game on Wednesday in the Basque region.
With most unable to get flights to Bilbao – or refusing to pay the €600/700 cost one way – they were flying into airports including Valencia, Faro and Malaga and getting connecting flights today and tomorrow.
READ MORE: Twelve random things Manchester United and Spurs fans can do in Bilbao this week
It was, after all, €1,400 euros just to fly Tuesday to Thursday return from Manchester.
At least a quarter of the fans of a Monday morning flight to Bilbao from Malaga were heading to the game.
Half of those on the Volotea service had early flights into Malaga or arrived over the weekend.
“I’ve had two flights this morning,” said Pete Jones, 24, a Spurs fan from Essex. “It was the only vaguely affordable way to get here.”
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He said many of his fellow fans were flying to Biarritz and even Nice and driving ‘up to five hours’ to get to Bilbao for the game.
Another Manchester fan, salesman Leo Doran, said he’d flown into Malaga on Sunday, but was being forced to fly back via Tenerife.
“It was actually really cheap, just 50 quid, and we get a night out in Tenerife,” he explained.
Then there was the issue of accommodation with hotels – even three star joints – charging well over €1,000 a night from Tuesday to Thursday.
The best recommendation on Booking.com was two star Hotel Goien which cost €2,138 for two nights.
Four star Barcelo Nervión weighed in at €3,665.
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Incredibly, even student accommodation at San Mamés University residence was costing €2,000 for two nights.
“We’ve had to stay in Santander,” continued Doran, 26. “It’s only an hour and a half on the bus and we’ll come back to Bilbao on Wednesday.
“I’ve no idea how we’ll get back to Santander after the game.”
The game is expected to see up to 15,000 Spurs fans and 10,000 United fans turn up without tickets.
Officially, each team got 15,000 with another 20,000 going to neutral supporters and officials at UEFA.
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The move caused considerable anger among both sets of supporters, with many having to pay touts well over €1,000 a ticket. Often much more.
One reseller, Gert Landon, based in Brussels, managed to acquire six tickets, when the official opening date to buy ‘fans first’ tickets opened on April 11.
The tickets, which cost from just €40, were being sold this week from €600 to €2,000 online.
The game is remarkable as it not only guarantees entry to next season’s Champions League, but it is being contested by two teams in the bottom quarter of the Premier League for the first time ever.
The Olive Press will be covering the game and the build up across the week.
