Arsenal are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30, but excitement has reportedly waned among some staff.
Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest (Image: Vince Mignott/Getty Images)
Multiple staff at Arsenal are reportedly “angry and disappointed” by the club’s decision to provide an £859 third-party charter flight to the Champions League final. The Gunners will play Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30, but some staff are reportedly reluctant to attend due to the entry fee.
Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals last week. The game could mark a historic end for Mikel Arteta’s side, who are in pole position on their way to winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
The club has been allocated 16,824 general admission tickets by UEFA for the match, which kicks off at 5pm at the Puskas Arena. PSG are paying their staff to attend a match in Hungary later this month, but Arsenal are taking a different approach.
According to the Telegraph, the Gunners are giving each employee a free, non-transferable ticket to the match, while also arranging charter flights with a third-party travel company. Staff working on the day of the final will not pay for their flight tickets, but those who accept the offer of free tickets will have to pay for their own transportation to Budapest. Employees were reportedly told that “if space allows, colleagues attending the finals may choose to purchase seats on these flights.”
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Packages from SportsBreaks cost £859 per person and depart from London Luton Airport early on the day of the match, with flights back home shortly after the match. The report said about a third of the club’s employees accepted the offer, but there was also some dissatisfaction with the move.
Some feel they have no other choice, given that many employees will have to return to London for the trophy parade on May 31 if Arteta’s side win against the defending champions.
Arsenal offered staff free tickets to the screening of the final at Emirates Stadium as an alternative for those unable or unwilling to fly to Budapest.
The Champions League final is scheduled to be held at the Puskas Arena (Image: Getty Images)
Despite Arsenal having £120m of funding to help them reach the Champions League final this season, exorbitant costs are being passed on to Arsenal employees. And that could undermine the sentiment Arteta expressed after last week’s win against Atletico Madrid.
“It’s an unbelievable night,” he said. “We have made history together again and I couldn’t be happier and prouder of everyone involved in this football club. The way we were seen outside the stadium was special and unique.”
“The atmosphere, the energy that the supporters created, the way they were with us every ball made this game special and unique. I had never felt anything like that in the stadium. We knew how much it meant to everyone. We gave everything and the players did an incredible job. After 20 years, we are back in the Champions League final for the second time in our history.”
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