THE ROAR OF 20,000 GERS FANS
Boss Gio rallies supporters to raise the roof
GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST yesterday urged Rangers fans to turn the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium into a bear pit during Wednesday’s Europa League final.
The Ibrox boss’s battle cry came as it emerged that Light Blues supporters will fill almost half the seats in the 42,000-capacity ground after snapping up sponsors’ unwanted tickets.
About 10,000 briefs were handed back by the tournament’s big-money backers and sold online by Uefa last weekend.
Now, about 20,000 Gers fans are expected to turn the stadium into a cauldron as the team attempts to make history by beating Eintracht Frankfurt in the showpiece final.
Van Bronckhorst yesterday urged Rangers supporters to crank up the noise. He said: “I really expect a great atmosphere with all the fans we’ve got.
“I played in Seville with Barcelona, and also there with Feyenoord in the Europa League. I think it’s going to be a very good atmosphere in this stadium.”
However, he admitted he can’t understand why Uefa chose such a small arena for the final, adding: “I don’t know what the thinking is and I’d love to have [the match] in a bigger stadium as then more fans could watch the game.
“Maybe they want to have a difference in all the competitions. The Champions League has a big stadium in Paris [ for the final on May 28] and the Europa League and Conference League finals are in smaller stadiums.”
The exodus of Rangers fans to southern Spain is well under way, with more than 100,000 expected to descend on Andalusia in the hope of seeing their heroes lift the trophy.
Tickets for the final are selling for more then £2000 on the black market. With supply being so low, city bosses in Seville have been forced to open up the 60,000-capacity Estadio La Cartuja – where Celtic were beaten 3-2 by Porto in the 2003 Uefa Cup final – as a fan zone.
It will show the match on screens but fans have been told no alcohol will be on sale. The move came after a
Rangers delegation travelled to Spain last week to meet with Seville’s mayor, Antonio Munoz, and local police.
It emerged yesterday that about 20,000 Rangers fans will be inside the stadium. Only 9500 tickets were given to the Ibrox side but the club understands supporters snapped up an extra 10,000 released last Friday.
As well as buying from fans of rival teams who failed to make the final, Rangers supporters have also bought tickets from tout websites and via the first Uefa ballot.
It’s understood a second batch of briefs – which were sold out within hours – were tickets rejected by sponsors such as beer brewers Heineken and tyre firm Hankook. Those were offered to fans who had been unsuccessful in the first ballot.
A club insider said: “There were 9500 given to us – which have all been allocated, as per the club’s policy.
“We anticipate there being just over 40,000 inside the stadium as fans are picking up tickets from sponsors. I think we’ll probably pick up anything between 16,000 and 18,000 tickets.”
Fans without tickets have Munoz to thank for organising safe places to watch the game.
A Rangers insider said: “Five members of staff went to Seville last week. They worked with Uefa and the authorities in the city to make sure it’s as safe and welcoming as possible for Rangers fans.
“We worked very hard and managed to secure a stadium – in the form of the Estadio La Cartuja – and numbers continue to grow for that.
“We are working to ensure screens are working and that there are adequate refreshments, food and water for fans – and that’s in a controlled environment.
“The club has built up a good relationship with the mayor. He was the main individual who took that forward and politicians pushed this to make it happen.”
For supporters going to Spain,
Rangers have published a guide book to Seville and club-branded bin bags will be given to help fans keep the city tidy.
About 5500 police and private security officers will be mobilised to guarantee public safety.
Spanish government officials in the area revealed the numbers of local police, Guardia Civil and National Police Corps being drafted in for the match.
The National Police Corps will provide about 3000 personnel, including riot squad officers specialising in rapid response and bomb disposal experts.
The Guardia Civil, the other national police force, will look after security at Seville’s San Pablo Airport and roads leading in and out of the city as well as monitoring social media in a bid to detect problems before they occur.
More than 1000 private security officers will be on duty at the stadium. Their job will include making sure fans do not access the ground with flares. The “pre-critical” phase of the security operation will begin at 8am today and continue until Wednesday at 3pm.
The “critical” phase will then begin and last until 9pm on Wednesday night.
A spokesman for the Spanish government’s sub-delegation in Seville said yesterday: “More than 5500 agents will guarantee security at the Europa League final in Seville.
“An operation specially tailored for the needs of this event has been designed in which the National Police Corps and Guardia Civil officers will act in conjunction with local police employed by Seville City Hall and the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium’s private security service.
“The National Police Corps will provide about 3000 officers, with groups which will include prevention and reaction units, bomb disposal group TEDAX [Technician
Specialist in Deactivation of Explosive Artifacts], aerial units and mounted police.”
The government sub-delegation added: “The stadium will provide 1210 private security officers and assistants – a number which could increase – as well as 24 dogs and guides specialising in the detection of pyrotechnic material and drugs.”
Frankfurt’s fan zone is in a scenic area around Prado de San Sebastian.
As well as police reinforcements at the airport, extra police will monitor Seville’s Santa Justa train station.
In Glasgow, fans are being advised to stay at home and not head to Ibrox and George Square if Rangers win.
The club has asked police to limit or prohibit alcohol sale in off licences to discourage on-street drinking. A similar decision was made in Glasgow’s Merchant City area on Saturday as Celtic fans celebrated the club’s league title win.