Rangers and Liverpool named as UEFA fears grow ahead of Europa League final in Dublin
UEFA is growing concerned about whether Dublin is capable of handling an influx of supporters from teams such as Rangers and Liverpool for the Europa League final, according to The Independent.
Miguel Delaney reported for the publication’s online edition on Tuesday (12 March) that the football governing body is talking to Irish authorities about using Croke Park as a spill-off fan zone.
The report names Rangers and Liverpool as two of the sides who would likely take a huge contingent of supporters over to Ireland should they reach May’s showpiece.
The final is set to be hosted by the 52,000-capacity Aviva Stadium, meaning a relatively small allocation of tickets for any teams that make it all the way.
Rangers hoping to be in Dublin for Europa League final
Rangers have a long way to go to make it to another Europa League final, starting with Thursday’s (14 March) last-16 second leg with Benfica.
That tie is delicately poised at 2-2 following a thrilling first leg in Portugal last week, which makes the Gers slender favourites in the view of many.
As we saw in Seville against Eintracht Frankfurt a couple of years ago, supporters will not be put off travelling if they do not have a ticket for the final.
And given the size of the Aviva Stadium, with many tickets going to sponsors, there will be many fans who do not get their hands on one.
This is still a long way off happening, but the closer Rangers get to the final, the more concerned UEFA will no doubt grow.
And should it be a Rangers versus Liverpool final on 22 May, it could well be a fixture for the ages.
In other Rangers news, Andy Halliday has reacted to the “madness” he saw in the Gers’ win over Hibernian.
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