Wales on show as nation’s epic Uefa weekend kicks off
Nearly two years after it was announced as the host city of the 2017 finals, the Champions League carnival finally arrives in Cardiff today.
The eyes of the world will be on Wales in the coming days for a sporting occasion with true global appeal - and we are ready!
Today marks the beginning of a four-day festival centring on a contest considered bigger than the Super Bowl, exceeded only perhaps by football’s World Cup final.
At 10am the iconic European Cup will arrive by boat in Cardiff Bay in the company of Ian Rush before a ceremony in which First Minister Carwyn Jones will formally welcome the competition to our shores.
Tonight the woman’s Champions League final takes place between Lyon and Paris St Germain at Cardiff City Stadium.
Juventus and Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid will play the men’s final at the National Stadium of Wales two days later. And in between, a line-up of footballing legends will battle it out on a floating pitch in Cardiff Bay.
THE LINE-UPS for the Ultimate Champions Match on Cardiff Bay’s floating pitch have been announced and there are some absolute legends in the two teams.
Ruud Gullit and Emilio Butragueño will take charge of the two sides who will lock horns in the Welsh capital at 4pm tomorrow ahead of Saturday’s Uefa Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus at the National Stadium of Wales.
And the teams have certainly whetted the appetite ahead of the showpiece European final.
Gullit’s side contains some of the best players ever to have graced the beautiful game, including 2006 World Cup winner Marco Materazzi, former Wales and Liverpool ace Ian Rush, Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs and Brazil legend Cafu.
Dejan Stankovic, Youri Djorkaeff, Marcel Desailly, David Trezeguet and Fabrizio Ravanelli will also turn out for the Dutchman’s side.
And former Real Madrid ace Butragueño’s side is also packed with world-class quality.
His team boasts the likes of Real Madrid legends Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Steve McManaman, as well as Barcelona greats Deco and Eidur Gudjohnsen.
Clarence Seedorf – the only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs – will also feature in the game in the Welsh capital, along with former Liverpool star Luis Garcia, Croatia legend Davor Suker and ex-Real Madrid and Spain favourite Michel Salgado.
Preparations for the football extravaganza stepped up a notch yesterday as Cardiff continued its rapid transformation.
An estimated 200,000 football fans are to descend on the city from today onwards.
Extra trains will carry 60,000 passengers, while there will be more than 1,250 coaches, 400 extra flights, and 4,000 new park-and-ride spaces to accommodate the influx of fans.
Cardiff Airport staff are expecting 24,000 fans to fly in for the match, and more than 400 additional flights via charter and private aircraft are scheduled.
People travelling around the region – and especially the Cardiff area – are being urged to plan ahead.
There will be a series of road closures in place and security measures, while trains and bus services will also be affected.
Yesterday an enormous trophy appeared in Cardiff Bay ready to greet thousands of fans set to visit the Champions League Festival, where the Ultimate Champions Match takes place tomorrow.
More details have also emerged regarding security preparations.
A giant fence will split one of the city centre’s major roads on Saturday, it has been revealed.
Westgate Street – opposite the stadium’s main entrance – will be cut in half in order to separate ticket-holders, according to bar staff who have been briefed on the security situation around the “inner security zone”.
Although South Wales Police would not disclose what the structure would be, they and Cardiff Council confirmed there would be access along Westgate Street for revellers wanting to visits bars, pubs and clubs a stone’s throw away from the stadium.
Anyone wanting to visit venues down the strip are being advised to bring ID and use side streets.
The segregation means ticketholders will have to enter via checkpoints at either end of Westgate Street before going in to the stadium.
And only ticket-holders will be allowed on the side of the street near the stadium, leaving the other half free for pub-goers to wander as they please.
Sam Williams, manager at ZeroDegrees in Westgate Street, said customers are still welcome to visit on the night and book as normal.
She said: “I’d advise if you want to get to us, you come in via the side streets and bring ID and a confirmation email if you book.
“We’ve been told we can still take bookings but don’t want people being caught in the crowd.”
And other popular drinking haunts along the strip, such as Brewdog, Queen’s Vaults and Urban Tap House, all said they would be open as normal for the big event.
The Champions League Festival in Cardiff Bay will host an opening ceremony at 10am today, when Ian Rush is expected to arrive by boat carrying the Champions League trophies and First Minister Carwyn Jones will deliver a speech.
Today the festival will host acts including Côr Glanaethwy, Only Boys Aloud and Mike Peters.
A charity football match attended by boxing legend Joe Calzaghe and broadcaster Jason Mohammad has been hailed a success after being organised to raise funds for victims of the Manchester terrorist attack.
Taking place at the Vale Sports Arena in Penarth, the Match For Manchester saw a celebrity side, captained by Calzaghe, face a community side. Other celebrities taking part in the match included former Wales and Leicester City midfielder Matt Jones, opera singer and radio presenter Wynne Evans, and Rhys Hutchings from Goldie Looking Chain, while former Wales goalkeeper Neville Southall was also in attendance.
The aim of the match was to raise funds for the victims of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena where 22 people were killed and 116 people were injured.
It was also aimed at showing community spirit and celebrating diversity in Cardiff and throughout the UK.
Match organiser Matt Callanan said: “For me it was just an amazing coming together of the community and showing solidarity through the amazing game of football.
“There were loads of families who came down and there were lots of money going in the pockets. It was brilliant that lots of key people and celebrities gave up their time and to help out such a great cause at short notice. We also had a couple of kids from Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital come down to take some penalties at half time which was great.
“It was a really successful night and a very visual sign of coming together, uniting and accepting diversity.”
Unfortunately, no one was able to keep track of the score during the match but it seems like the community just edged it, but everyone came away with a smile on their face.
Dan Sargent, creative director of media agency Blue Stag and another event organiser, said: “It was an absolutely incredible event.
“It was a community event and everybody was there and it was incredible to see everyone coming together through the power of sport to raise money for such an important cause.”