Kieran Maguire: Uefa U-turn forced by West Ham ‘mistake’ – ‘they have messed up’
Uefa ‘messed up’ by selecting a 19,370-capacity stadium to host the Europa Conference League final between West Ham and Fiorentina.
That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider and praised Uefa for changing their stadium requirements for European finals.
As reported by the Daily Mail, West Ham fans were initially allocated only 4,890 seats to next Wednesday’s (7 June) Europa Conference League final at the 19,370-capacity Fortuna Arena.
Uefa have since increased their allocation to 5,780 following fan complaints, but tens of thousands of ticketless supporters are still expected to arrive in Prague.
Uefa have also made a U-turn on their minimum stadium requirements for European finals, increasing the minimum capacity for stadiums to 30,000 starting with next year’s showpiece event.
Maguire insists it will be a ‘win-win’ for all parties involved by increasing the revenue for future Europa Conference League finals.
“I think Uefa will have time to reflect on their mistake and the popularity of the teams involved in the Europa Conference League final,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“They will want to allow clubs with sizeable fanbases the ability to enjoy such an experience.
“There is no doubt that they have messed up this year and therefore the decision to increase the minimum capacity next year to 30,000 is beneficial for fans, clubs and Uefa.
“They will be making more money from ticket sales, more fans will be able to attend and so it is a win-win for everyone involved.“
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