No joy for stranded Reds fans
London, May 26: Liverpool’s mayor said his bid to get stranded football fans to Kiev for the Champions League final against Real Madrid failed on Friday after he was unable to find crew for back- up planes.
“We regret to say that we have been unable to achieve a resolution that will satisfy everyone. We now must accept the fact that some fans who have tickets may not be able to make the game,” said Mayor Joe Anderson in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to all those who will undoubtedly be left bitterly disappointed by this turn of events.”
Hundreds of supporters are now expected to miss the showpiece match in Ukraine on Saturday after operator Worldchoice Sports cancelled three flights because it did not have sufficient landing slots at Boryspil Airport.
Anderson initially said he was working with Kiev’s mayor, ex- heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, to find a solution for all those who faced missing out.
He posted several messages on Twitter on Thursday and Friday which gave hope to fans. Anderson said he had secured replacement landing slots and was trying to find a solution to the fiasco by organising a new carrier to provide flights from John Lennon airport.
He said he was eventually able to secure the aircraft, but could not locate a suitable crew.