Post by neilcrud on Jun 2, 2007 9:19:45 GMT
LIVERPOOL v AC MILAN
Champions League Final
Olympic Stadium, Athens
26.05.07
Champions League Final
Olympic Stadium, Athens
26.05.07
(review by Paul Scouse, pics by Neil Crud)
Myself and mate Billy Ward decided we'd splash out and go support the reds in Athens the other night. Even though Liverpool lost we still had a great time. We planned the trip even though we didn't have tickets for the match, deciding it would be great to just be there and be a part of the experience. Just before we were about to leave we were given some 'dodgy' tickets, great we might even get in!
We left Rhyl at midnight Tuesday heading for a 5am flight to Athens. The airport was absolutely packed with joyous, expectant reds fans, so many that the airport had resurrected temporary check in desks to cater for the 50 odd departing flights!
We didn't take off until 8.30 am, meaning we'd lost 3 hours in Athens already, but never mind we're on our way. Billy tried to sleep whilst I drunk Baileys!. Its only a 3 and half hour flight so we seemed to get there pretty quick. It was quickly past the uninterested customs officers and onto the waiting bus which would drop us in town. I texted Neil Crud to find out where he and Ste Sync would be as they were already there. The reply - 'In the beer tent with a green roof you shithead!'
He's so polite.
Taking in the bus ride to Athens I was surprised how dirty the place was, graffiti everywhere. Once there we made our way up to the main square where it was a total sea of red and white, brilliant, and the noise was deafening as the fans continuously sang out the anthems of the Kop.
We found Crud, Ste and Jason as expected in the beer tent and then all set off to find another bar. We sat drinking Guinness, mingled and took the piss with the AC Milan fans and sung ourselves silly in the street with the backing of some really ugly Greek musicians.
From there it was on to the Underground Metro to make our way up to the Olympic stadium to suss out our chances of getting in. I like Greece, you don't have to pay on the train, well not if you're part of the hundreds of singing Liverpool fans barging past the ticket office and straight on to the trains! The locals were totally bemused, probably scared shitless too!
At the stadium it soon became apparent that 'real' tickets were going to be hard to find and bloody expensive! We had forged ones but had heard rumours of possible arrest if you got caught. We decided not to chance it and go find a bar nearby to watch it on the big screen. It was obvious even then that something was going to go off as there was so many fans without tickets hell bent on getting in. I just thought it was wrong and unfair on the genuine ticket holders so got out the way of it. I would have been pissed of if I had a genuine ticket then found five people sat in my chair. It's wrong, but there's always a brainless element who can't think morally and these are the people who've get us all tarred with the same dishonest brush!
We watched the match in a really cool bar, had a few drinks and watched the lads totally batter AC in the 1st half only to go in a goal down. Never mind at least it was only one this time we can come back surely?.
As the game went on you just knew Liverpool would get caught on the break whilst they poured forward for an equaliser. 2 - 0 Milan, shit! It was hard to take having played so well. We scored a late one but it wasn't enough and we faced a long trip home totally disappointed.
As we made our way back to the airport we started to hear the stories of how all the forge ticket holders got in and some genuine ticket holders didn't, leading to the police closing the gates, then attacking those genuine fans with CS gas and batons for kicking off cos they couldnt get in! Disgraceful.
Myself and Billy HAD forged tickets but decided NOT to use them. I'm proud of that even though I would have loved to experience actually being inside the stadium.
Now the UEFA bigwigs totally blame all Liverpool fans! Well they should take some blame too. For the totally inadequate allocation of tickets given to teams at these major games. Why do so many corparate fans take preference? That UEFA twat on the TV said it's only the English who behave this way. Well that's because the English and especially Liverpool fans are totally passionate about their team, that's why 40 odd thousand travelled out there to support them.
Yes there were some scallies there who didn't care for anyone or anything except getting into the match any way they could. But why no turnstiles at the ground, where were the ultra violet scanners for ticket checking, who was checking tickets, NOBODY!
Blame needs to be shared by UEFA, the Greek authorities who were not prepared or capable of hosting such an event, and also that small idiot minority of selfish fans who spotted how easy it was to get in and exploited it.
Further to make my point, we got to the airport to be told our flight was delayed 8 hours. We were herded like cattle into another makeshift airport terminal, with no refreshments on offer. Again no searches and total bedlam, our plane was infact sat on the runway all night whilst we had to make do with trying to sleep on the floor. The Greeks didn't give a shit, they let us all in, many without tickets, to take our money, they failed to do their jobs at all, failed to protect or provide for us then BLAME US WHEN THE SHIT HIT THE FAN. The one saving grace is that there was no repeat of Hillsborough!!
I'm off to flog my phoney ticket on Ebay! Goodnight.