Russian Visas and £5000 Tickets
Firstly, congratulations to both Chelsea and Manchester Utd who advanced through to the Champions League final this week. A fantastic achievement - and one that makes a great advert for English football whether Frank Rijkaard agrees or not (see here).
Both sets of fans will, I’m sure, now be grasping the reality of their team playing for Europe’s biggest club prize in Moscow on May 21st. After last night’s tense affair between Liverpool and Chelsea, I’m sure there are a few million Blues fans nursing a sore head today!
So, the difficult part is over right? You got to the final. Unfortunately not - now you have to find a way to get to Moscow to support your team. This has created many of it’s own problems, and even sparked a political debate.
The problem is …….. visas. How and where to get them, and whether fans will even get them in time.
More than 42,000 fans will travel to Moscow to support their team in the showcase final, and the Russian authorities have promised to fast-track visas for those who are attending. The Russian National Tourist Board in London, who are dealing with visa applications exclusively for the Champions League final on behalf of the Russian Embassy, are under huge pressure to process the £95 applications.
The Russian Embassy has acknowledged the ‘extremely tight’ time frame, but say that extra staff will be made available to cope with demand. But, there are huge concerns that many fans will not have the correct documents to travel.
There are unconfirmed reports that any fan with an official match day ticket will not need a separate visa, but a full statement with more details is due on Thursday.
Manchester United have released a statement saying that all fans travelling with approved charter airlines WILL be fast tracked in the visa application process.
It seems that the main problem will be those fans that follow their team around Europe WITHOUT a ticket. This will put a huge strain on the Russian Embassy and cause huge delays. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Embassy said: “We would encourage supporters not to travel if they do not have a ticket or accommodation beforehand.”
This is not the only problem facing supporters. Tickets are scarce. It’s illegal for UK companies to sell tickets on on the Internet, but there are no rules governing any site based outside this country. Today we have found tickets on sale for up to £5,030 - approx £4,900 OVER their face value. The cheapest CLDsport have found were £1,125 (at 1st4 Football Tickets UK). Inflating prices due to demand is one thing, but adding such a mark-up is ridiculous - and takes advantage of those fans who are desperate to see their team play, regardless of price.
The problems do not end there. Flights to Moscow are all but full, and remaining seats are being sold at £900 for a return as of now. Then you need a hotel, and with Moscow being one of the most expensive cities to stay in in Europe, you can expect to pay between £150-£500 for 1 night - that’s if you can get accommodation at all.
So, the reality is sinking in. To see your team play in the final you can expect to pay over £2,000 at best. For the more affluent among us this may be possible - however, for those of us who can’t afford to fork out such a large amount it will be a trip to the local and a nice cold beer!!
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “Fans will get there. It will happen and it will work.”
CLDsport wishes we could be that confident.
For those of you concerned about visa applications, or need information, a hotline has been set up. The number is: 0208 242 4104
