Uefa Approached Bayern About The Possibility Of Moving The Europa League Final from Dublin to Munich
European football's ruling body's fear of Liverpool caused Nyon to consider other options in the event of Jurgen Klopp's team advancing to the Irish capital
Uefa fear Liverpool's presence in the Europa League final in Dublin so much that European football's ruling body started making contingency plans for the showpiece game as early as last May.
Political football has seen internal Uefa correspondence that expressed concerns that Dublin could not cope if Liverpool reach the final. The suggested alternative venue was the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The documents say that Uefa “contacted Munich to [potentially] host the game” because of the demand for tickets and fears that the Irish capital would be swamped with supporters.
A number of clubs that would bring large bodies of support to Dublin remain in contention for the May 22 final.
European football’s ruling body’s worst fears would be realised if Rangers, West Ham United, Milan, Marseilles and Roma join Liverpool in the last eight.
A Rangers-Liverpool final would almost certainly be moved, a source close to the situation said. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is confident that the Aviva Stadium and the city could cope. There have been a succession of meetings between the FAI, Uefa and the Garda and the Irish authorities would react badly to any attempt to take such an important match away from the country.
Liverpool are the main issue. Uefa have long been wary of the club’s large fanbase. The Heysel Stadium disaster, where 39 mainly Italian supporters died at the 1985 European Cup final between the Merseyside club and Juventus, casts a long shadow. The disturbances at the Champions League final against Milan in Athens in 2007, when ticketless fans swarmed into the stadium, reinforced the notion that Liverpool supporters are a problem.
Events in Paris two years ago at the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid deepened the suspicion. Uefa were forced to apologise for the dangerous conditions and crushing around the Stade de France after initially blaming ticketless supporters.
The ruling body’s shoddy organisation and the actions of the French police created and exacerbated the problems around the stadium but some in Nyon still find it easier to point the finger at Liverpool than face their own shortcomings.
“If Liverpool aren’t there [in Dublin], there’s no issue,” the source said.
Last season had barely ended when Uefa began discussing contingency plans for the final. Today’s admission by Theodore Theodoridis, Uefa’s general secretary, that there are “a couple of pairings that would be extremely challenging in terms of finding ways to accommodate everyone who wanted to be in Dublin,” illustrates the thinking at the ruling body.
Moving the game away from Dublin would damage Uefa’s credibility, though. The main hope in Nyon is that Liverpool get knocked out at the quarter-final stage.
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