Under-provision of wheelchair user and easy access (ambulant) seating at the UEFA Europa League Final will see some disabled Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur supporters excluded.
Level Playing Field has contacted UEFA, to raise pressing concerns over the lack of tickets available to disabled fans requiring wheelchair user spaces and easy access seating. The charity was also in regular discussion with Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association and SpursAbility throughout last week, with each having members set to miss out on the final as a result of the shortages.
Each club has been provided an allocation of 26 wheelchair user and 15 easy access tickets, in a stadium with a capacity of 53,000 and a collective ticket share for both clubs at 56% of that. UEFA’s own Accessibility Guidelines for a stadium of that size would require each clubs’ allocation to include 66 wheelchair user and 66 easy access seats, for a total of 264 spaces. The current allocation falls 182 tickets short of that standard.
The host venue is stated to have 208 wheelchair user and 102 easy access seating spaces. A proportionate allocation of the available facilities would therefore be expected to provide 58 wheelchair user and 28 easy access seating spaces to each set of fans.
UEFA’s clear lack of provision for disabled fans supporting the finalists can be therefore seen when compared to their own guidance and even the facilities of the host venue.
Chair of Level Playing Field, Tony Taylor, said: “Disabled fans have not been considered a priority, regardless of how you approach this situation.
“Inadequate provisions are set to result in disproportionate exclusion, on a day when fanbases should be united for a celebration.
“Instead, we have seen another failure from UEFA at a showpiece event. Accountability has been lacking before and now we can see more disregard for disabled fans, which ignores the governing body’s own guidance and underutilises the facilities available, without adequate justification.
“We know that there are additional barriers to European travel for many disabled fans. To then have further barriers put in place through ticketing and a lack of facilities, and be disproportionally locked out of occasions like this, is unacceptable.
“I feel for the disabled fans of both clubs who have supported their sides throughout this season and are set to miss out on what could be the highlight.”
Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association secretary, Rick Clement, added: “To see that in 2025 we are still not receiving a fair allocation of accessible tickets, which fall short of UEFA’s own guidelines, is extremely disappointing and reinforces the fact that disability is often an afterthought.
“We understand that different venues have different facilities available, but the Bilbao venue can easily cater for a larger number of disabled fans for both teams.
“Our members have to overcome extra barriers to get to the final and now to see many miss out due to lack of availability just isn’t good enough.
“Our committee and members strongly ask UEFA to learn from this and put in place a pathway to ensure football is for everyone and the guidelines are followed.”
SpursAbility co-chair, Rita Egan, added: “We fully agree with the comments from Level Playing Field.
“SpursAbility have expressed our extreme disappointment at this allocation from the outset.
“The numbers for both fanbases are wholly insufficient. There should at least have been a proportionate distribution of the spaces available at the stadium, in line with the general allocation.
“We have members who have travelled anyway and could be contacted straight away if those spaces were made available.”
Level Playing Field has also been in discussion Chelsea Disabled Supporters’ Association regarding the UEFA Conference League Final and has raised concerns at a lack accessible ticketing which is also present there. While provisions still fall short overall, in that instance an initial allocation of easy access seating has been extended.
Supporters impacted by the shortages are advised to inform their disabled supporters’ associations and can contact Level Playing Field directly: info@levelplayingfield.org.uk