Final was a journey to forget for the Monaghan family
NOT only did they taste defeat, but the circumstances surrounding many aspects of the Champions League final recently left one local family deeply upset.
Phil Monaghan and his son, Jamie, travelled via Moldova for the game in Kiev and found the experience a real eye-opener.
They have even put pen to paper and contacted the authorities in the Ukraine and UEFA to express their outrage.
Travelling in a small party with a group from Northern Ireland, they got all their paperwork together before travelling, but when trying to enter the Ukraine were told it wasn’t in order and they had to pay €330.
‘As two of our party are disabled wheelchair-users we had official P12 car park passes. However, on arrival in Kyiv none of the Ukrainian police knew where to send us and UEFA did not put up appropriate signage at road blocks to direct fans to the designated parking area. It took 90 minutes to find the designated P12 area and throughout we found people singularly unhelpful and dismissive,’ Phil remarked.
‘Arrangements to actually enter the stadium for disabled fans were appalling. Wheelchair users were left to queue with able-bodied fans, all entering through what was supposed to be a disabled-access-only entry point. The viewing platform for disabled fans was absolutely unfit for purpose. Wheelchair users and their carers were in a designated area which had very restricted views of the pitch and therefore we could not fully participate in the experience offered to able-bodied fans.
‘It is my understanding that there should have been disabled access for 270 people but there was only provision for 105. I am concerned that this provision and viewing experience is considered acceptable under UEFA regulations.’
Jamie has specific dietary requirements that necessitate travelling with pre-prepared meals. There were no facilities available at the stadium to heat up his meals to support his requirements as a spectator. ‘ This level of support for disability access should be in place as a basic requirement to meet regulations,’ Phil states.
On the way back to Chisinau, they had to part with more money for other issues.
‘I can only say that I deeply regret taking my son to the Champions League Final. We are committed Liverpool Football Club supporters and only wanted to experience a good match, supporting our team,’ he stated.