Phewropa League
100F heatwave awaits sweltering supporters at historic final in Seville
THE heat will be on travelling Rangers fans in Seville – with the mercury nudging 100F on the day of the Europa League Final a week on Wednesday.
The first foot soldiers of an expected 100,000-strong invasion are expected to set out this week, with many fans and their families snapping up seven-day breaks to Costa resorts.
The bookings have been made to avoid sky-high prices for a single night’s stay in the Andalucian capital.
But one of the hottest parts of Spain is currently experiencing a spring heatwave and horses on official duty at the recent annual fair fainted in the heat. One died.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said temperatures next week will peak at around 35C (95F) on the day of the final.
He said: “Something in the mid-30s is not out of the question as we head into next Wednesday, the day of the final.
“There could be a few showers around but looking at the forecast, temperatures are likely to be on the very high side.”
Even stay-at-home fans who gather to watch the game in pubs, gardens or on big screens can expect barbecue weather in Scotland, with sunshine and highs of 21C (70F) on May 18.
For the first leg of the semi-final in Leipzig, a group of Rangers fans booked flights to Gran Canaria and waited a few hours in the airport before boarding a connecting flight to Germany. With no scheduled direct flights from Scotland to Seville, fans for the Eintracht Frankfurt game have been crafting ingenious routes to the south of Spain.
Yesterday, Chris Inglis mapped out his itinerary, Edinburgh to Oslo next Monday, Oslo to Malaga on the Tuesday before onward travel by bus to Seville.
Another called Bar72Bear added: “Expensive but it’s Seville (4am) on the Thursday to Munich then to Manchester, getting in at 10am.”
Many will be forced to sleep on the streets of Seville as they will be unable to either secure or pay for expensive accommodation, now breaking the £1600-per-night barrier.
German rail carrier Deutsche Bahn is planning to run a special train all the way to Seville for Frankfurt supporters.
There are also 15 charter flights organised.