I’ve been to plenty of games over the decades where fans have been treated badly. I’ve been stuck in car parks; locked in stadia; pushed and prodded by Police & stewards and much worse, so I’m not someone who has never been to a major game as a regular fan coming along saying ‘look this was disgraceful’. I know some rival fans have said: ‘you won, just suck it up’ or words to that effect but what City fans (and I assume Inter Milan too) experienced both before and after the final was not acceptable at all. It wouldn’t be acceptable at a sixth tier game, never mind Europe’s showpiece footballing occasion.
I had an absolutely incredible 40 odd hours in Istanbul, much of which was stuck on buses or desperately searching for transport, and I enjoyed Istanbul as a city. Seeing your team win Europe’s major trophy for the first time is pretty special and nothing will detract from that BUT it is important that our negative experiences are remembered. Hopefully, UEFA will listen and do something about this, but I doubt it.
This is just my experience and I know many fans will have experienced worse. I’m not trying to say ‘look at me’ or anything like that, I’m just trying to get it recorded and I would absolutely love fans to post their own stories as comments at the bottom of this page. I’m just one fan and there are multiple stories.
On the day of the final my wife, youngest daughter and I went to the fan park at Yenikapi about 2pm (my phone has recorded the time of photos, so I can work out specifics if needed). It was more geared towards non-attending fans rather than those who had match tickets and so we decided to head off to the stadium on the buses provided by UEFA.
There were searches and drinks, food etc were taken from fans at this point. One young guy in front of me had his roll-on deodorant taken (it was 75ml instead of the maximum 50ml allowed). He was somewhat upset as he’d only just bought it and felt he was already somewhat in need of using it after a long sticky journey to get to Yenikapi. I tried to avoid getting close enough to see if he did need it or not but he was convinced!
After going through the searches we got on a bus that was already fully seated but those given the task of filling buses by UEFA insisted we fill the standing area too.
I was uncertain about that as I’d heard about general traffic issues, but thinking I’d like to get there as soon as possible we boarded the bus and stood near the back.
There was no air conditioning and there were only a couple of windows capable of being opened but which didn’t seem to want to be opened. Someone managed to force one and a bit of a breeze came in occasionally.
Unfortunately, our bus driver seemed to have no idea of how to get to the stadium and he frequently took the wrong turning. Some fans near the front had the route on google maps and were trying to tell him but it seemed a pointless exercise. There were also road signs, which we all saw but somehow he missed them.
There were long traffic jams at times but the anticipation of the final kept spirits high.
We chatted to other fans about their experiences. Two guys near me had landed at SAW airport about 5am and been on buses for most of the day. They hadn’t seen much of Istanbul. They were understandably concerned about post-match transport back to their hotel, which was near SAW, and we discussed whether it would be better for them to get a bus back to SAW and then a taxi from there to their hotel. To be fair, we were already talking as if it would be chaos after the match. I’m not certain if any of us had a premonition or whether we just thought ‘it’s UEFA!’
The journey took a lot longer than expected and without air conditioning or any water available it was difficult for some of the passengers. The driver continued to get lost but our spirits remained fairly high – though frustration was creeping in. As we went around roundabouts many of us on the bus started to do that ‘wwwwooooooooo’ noise that’s done when we’re anticipating a trophy lift or similar. If the driver missed (I should say ‘when’ as he seemed to miss it more often than not) the turn off the ‘Wwwwoooo’ became a boo. If he got it right it was a cheer.
Another time we missed the turning off the motorway and the driver started trying to reverse. Fortunately for our safety a police motorcyclist just happened to be on the hard shoulder and he waved to the driver to move forward.
When we got to the stadium we ended up at the Milan end. I’m not certain if that was the intended route but from hearing others it wasn’t. From there the bus moved on to another dual carriageway as we had to travel around again. This time it was all too much for the bus and we stopped. None of us knew why and then someone heard that we’d broken down and the bus could not move off. The driver kept the doors closed and without water, air conditioning, a breeze the conditions worsened. It looked as if the driver was never going to let us out and so some started trying to force open the doors.
I think the driver then relented and the doors opened. We all climbed out and then started walking along the busy dual carriageway (which had no pavement, only the tarmac road) up hill towards the stadium.
Midway there was a boy with bottles of water he was selling to drivers and he suddenly hit the jackpot as we all started buying from him. He was only charging 5 Turkish lira each bottle which was a bonus. Post match some were demand well over 10 Euros for one small bottle.
The bus journey and walk up hill had taken over three hours. It should’ve been about 1 hour we were told.
At the stadium we entered the City fan park. Queues for drinks and food seemed extremely long, while the merchandising operation looked haphazard with no queueing system at all.
After a short while in the fan park we decided to head into the stadium as it was now open. The thought being that food and drink would be easier to buy in there.
We got in about 6.40pm. We bought a programme and scarf from the merchandising store there. Our fan pass was supposed to give us 10% off in the fan park. As it was impossible to buy anything there due to the general disorganisation of their merchandising operation we asked about the discount in the stadium. We were told the discount/fan pass was not valid. I’m not certain whether that’s true or not but none of the staff seemed even aware of what a fan pass was so I guess it was true.
We bought some basic food and drink. The cost was as extortionate as everything UEFA do and the staff basically gave us half a cup. When we asked for the full measure that was advertised and we’d paid for we were made to feel we were in the wrong. We still didn’t get the full measure advertised but gave up as the queue was getting longer behind us and the staff did not think we were right, even though the sign was there with prices and measurements.
Once in our seats everything for us was as it would normally be at a game like this and I have no complaints about that whatsoever. It was wonderful being at the final and we were excited by it all. We’d bought the cheapest unobstructed seats we could at 70 Euros (we can quibble about prices but that’s not a logistical issue on the day).
I’ve talked about the game elsewhere and it was magical and wonderful to see City win this historic and greatest of all European trophies. The Blues truly are Europe’s greatest team. It’s as simple as that.
After the celebrations we left the stadium. For us it was a fairly short journey compared to others to the coach park. Before the game we’d checked where we needed to be for the ride back to Yenikapi as I wanted to have a plan in my head.
We left the stadium via and extremely narrow exit gate. Fans were funnelled through it and it was totally inadequate. I’ve experienced worse at football games but these was Europe’s most prestigious game. It shouldn’t be like this.
We had to walk across a roadway which was supposed to be free of traffic but a black VIP style car pushed through the crowd with the police and stewards more worried about getting the car out than fan safety. We were expected to jump into the deep gutters on the road’s side or elsewhere.
When we arrived back at the coach park it was total chaos. Barriers were not where they’d been pre-match and the entire coach park was full of people desperately trying to find a bus to get on. Buses were full and everything was at a standstill. Nothing moving forward and no hope of getting on a bus.
We found a bus to Yenikapi but it was full. Then we decided to walk down. aline of buses thinking that we’d eventually get to one that had space, but it seemed like a fruitless task. Eventually, we decided to head back to the fan park and wait for things to calm down.
When we got to the fan park the stewards were holding everyone back who was in there and there seemed no way in or out. We walked over to a UEFA representative who seemed to be an information/help point. We asked about the metro thinking that might. be a better option. She told us it would be open and that it was on the other side of the stadium, past the Milan fan park. She showed us a map with it on and so we headed for that.
Desperate for a drink we saw someone selling water (there were lots of people selling flares and beer too) and we asked him how much. I honestly cannot remember how much he said but assuming the figure he gave was in Turkish lira like the boy earlier, I remember thinking it was excessive but we were desperate so we’d pay it.
We were given 3 bottles and then he demanded the money but this time the amount he’d said was in Euros, increasing it significantly. Thinking back it was something like 20 Euros each but I can’t honestly remember the specific amount. We then said ‘no thanks’ and handed the bottles back but he took my bottle and unscrewed the top and told me I’d have to pay. I pointed out that he’d opened it not me and we walked away but he grabbed me and was trying to demand money from him. I made it absolutely clear that he had opened it and I pulled myself away.
I think he realised that so many people had seen this that he couldn’t get away with his con and I walked away.
We continued to walk up towards the Milan end and after we had passed it we met a few fans coming the other way who said the metro was closed. A family, which included. a young, exhausted boy, were by this time walking with us. Their experience had been similar and we agreed to carry on for a while because there were a lot of mixed messages.
More fans started to come back saying the police had turned them away as it was closed. We were told the next metro was at 6am in the morning and one of the family walking with us checked his phone and found the same information on there.
A beer seller then offered to get us all a taxi at over 450 Euros which we refused. We debated carrying on to the metro but so many were saying it was closed or that they’d been turned away that we reluctantly decided to return to the coach park.
Loads of Blues passed us heading away from the coach park and to the metro. We told them what we’d heard and some turned around but others carried on. I have since heard that some people did find the metro open but I don’t know if this was earlier than we had got close to it or not.
None of the police, who were mostly sat on the grass, could help and UEFA representatives were nowhere to be seen by this point.
I started suggesting we could bed down for the night on the grass verge and get the metro at 6am. I was even looking for the best space possible, but we decided to carry on and if we couldn’t get on a bus then maybe we’d go back to the grass.
Back at the coach park and it was still chaotic. Buses seemed stuck. Fans were milling around not knowing what to do. One of the MCFC staff coaches was there and a City staff member genuinely seemed to want to help, especially as there was a young boy with us, but he couldn’t do anything about the UEFA buses.
We walked in between the stationary, packed buses looking for any bus that had space. A driver opened his window and said: ‘Where you going?’ We said ‘Yenikapi’ and he let us on to his packed bus. It was the first time anyone had been able to help and I think it was the sight of the small exhausted boy that influenced his thinking.
There was some standing space at the back of the bus and we went there. We managed to sit down, squashed in, and just felt relief at being on a bus. We didn’t care how long we’d be there.
There were a couple of Blues on there that I knew. I should’ve asked how long they’d been stuck there but didn’t get chance.
The bus didn’t move for ages but when it did our driver seemed to be determined we’d get off the coach park as quickly as possible. He cut other drivers off, grabbing every inch he could. Normally, I’d be worried about safety and the possibility of a bus not stopping in time etc. but I didn’t care by this point. Just get us back to Yenikapi.
I’ve been a restless leg sufferer for many years and have been on medication for over a decade. I hadn’t brought my medication to the stadium and so I was somewhat uncomfortable and my legs and arms were suffering BUT this was minor to what many others struggled with on the night. How disabled, elderly or young fans coped I don’t know. There was no help, other than from other fans.
Our driver was clearly a local as he took us off the official route and cut some time off the journey, but we didn’t get back to Yenikapi until 4am. Others were much later. Some would have been earlier.
From Yenikapi we had to walk to our hotel which wasn’t too far away. Others, including the family with the small boy, had to go to Taksim or other areas.
That’s the general story of the journeys to and from the stadium. I know others had worse ones. UEFA totally let fans down and had no organisation whatsoever post match. They didn’t seem to care about what we went through. What makes this worse is the knowledge that there were issues like this when LFC were in the final there back in 2005. This means that either UEFA haven’t learned anything from staging that game or that they simply don’t care. Surely someone at UEFA should have said: ‘Can we get the transport and logistics right if we go back to that stadium?’ and if the answer was no then it’s really simple: Either get the logistics right or don’t stage the game there.
Istanbul is a wonderful city and the other stadia appear to be in much better locations, but I guess their capacities are too small. I get why UEFA would want to stage. a final there but to get so much wrong is not acceptable. It’s not as if they’ve had this final thrust upon the stadium 0- it’s been scheduled to be there for several years!
One of the things that became abundantly clear to me during the early hours of Sunday morning was that the behaviour of the City and Inter fans ensured that this final did not end with significant injuries and issues. Had either set of fans decided to create issues then who knows how bad things could have got.
UEFA need to explain why they are inept at staging games like these – and if they don’t feel they are inept then they need to explain why fans are treated like they are. Something as simple as water should be available. We’d paid 70 Euros for our tickets – others had paid 7 times that – surely a free bottle of water was possible? They’d taken all our plastic bottles off us before we went in, so it was impossible even to get tap water. Clearly thye wanted us to spend, spend, spend but without adequate drink stalls we couldn’t even if we had the cash to afford their ridiculous prices.
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