Although the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán has a capacity of 42,000 spectators, more than 100,000 fans from Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers FC came to Seville to experience the Europa League final that was played this Wednesday. Each of the finalist clubs was allocated 10,000 tickets, meaning that most travelers had to follow the match from outside the stadium, turning the bars and streets of the city into their particular place of pilgrimage. The few tickets put up for sale for each of the fans caused the discontent of Peter Fischer, president of the German entity
Hours before the initial whistle, Fischer addressed the Eintracht fans, gathered at the Prado de San Sebastián in Seville, and criticized the few tickets that were made available to the club, in addition to the, in his opinion, reduced dimensions of the Seville temple. “200,000 fans wanted to be here today, but 190,000 are sad because they won't be able to get into this Mickey Mouse stadium,” he noted. In addition, he declared that this distribution of tickets "does not correspond to a worthy final." By comparison, up to 50,000 people gathered at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park to watch the game on giant screens.
The German president also took the opportunity to harangue his fans to give it their all in the Sánchez-Pizjuán stands. “The best fans in the world should show in the Champions League how to shake Europe,” he commented, adding: “Today I want to drink from this fucking cup! And for that I need you! The team needs your strength, it needs your support!”
Around 10,000 Eintracht Frankfurt fans gathered in the early afternoon at the Prado de San Sebastián, where a fan zone had been set up with a stage for the German fans to enjoy. Later, they traveled together the route to the Sánchez-Pizjuán. Upon reaching the outskirts of the stadium, the mounted police had to detain the followers of 'the eagles'.
Despite the reduced presence of German fans in the stands of the Sevilla stadium, compared to what was experienced at the Camp Nou, for example, Eintracht Frankfurt managed to beat Rangers in the grand final after a penalty shootout and raise their first European title since 1980. The Germans made their presence felt, motivating Oliver Glasner's charges not to fall apart when Aribo opened the scoring for the Scots. Santos Borré was the author of the goal that certified the tables and that allowed the extra time to be forced.
The night before the final, at the gates of Seville Cathedral, a confrontation began between fans of both clubs. At least 200 German fans got into a fight with the Scots, which resulted in five Eintracht fans being arrested. The Germans fled the area via Paseo de Colón. As they passed, they were beating the Rangers fans and confronting the authorities, who threw glass, flares and the tables of the bars they found in their path.
The problems continued during the afternoon of the final. Fans of Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers clashed along the two main avenues that lead to the Sánchez-Pizjuán. It was 6:30 p.m., half past two before the start of the game, when at least five vans from the National Police arrived in the area to neutralize the disturbances.
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