Didsbury Dave
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1 Feb 2007
- Messages
- 37,545
I received this from a Chelsea fan after their visit last month. My guess is that it will be the same for us. It puts me off going to be honest: everything that is wrong with trips to Europe condensed into one match:
"Football...fucking hell.
So...along with a thousand or so others, I travelled to Paris to watch Chelsea play PSG.
I travelled on Eurostar, which was enjoyable and cost £ 150. 2 nights' accommodation was about the same in a tiny hotel near the stadium. The ticket for the match was £ 71.
I don't want to think too much about the cost of food and booze...bollocks, it was a couple of days' holiday.
I'm not too bothered about Chelsea's performance. It's not about that.
It is the actual match-going experience which pisses me off.
You have to collect your match ticket at a central point, identifying yourself with your passport.
Then, incredibly, you are fitted with a wristband. I can only assume the reason for this was to ensure that the match ticket couldn't be given to a rogue fan.
Anyway...fast forward to the game.
To enter the stadium, we had to pass no fewer than four checkpoints. Ticket and wristband inspected at the first three...a thorough (very) search by an unsmiling French Robocop at the fourth.
There are spartan facilities inside, and of course, you can't relax with a beer, unless you enjoy the non-alcoholic variety. Which I don't.
You don't sit in your allocated seat.
The game passes and Chelsea lose 2-1.
Apparently, in the lower tier (I was in the upper) fans were sprayed with pepper spray for celebrating the Chelsea goal. Seriously.
At the final whistle, we are kept in the stadium for a good half hour, before being allowed to gather on the exit concourse.
There, a line of 30-odd French police, reminiscent of psychotic Thunderbirds puppets, perform some sort of military routine as they block our exit.
Frankly, they are gagging for a row.
Once on the street, we are pushed and prodded by these twats as they try to herd us all into the Metro station, regardless of where you want to go.
I've had all this before so it's not a surprise.
But, I do wonder if there is any other situation where a paying customer is treated like this.
I didn't see him, but apparently Bruce Buck was outside the entrance area before the game, talking to fans.
Fair play, but instead of paying this scant lip service before scurrying off to his VIP area, perhaps he should have joined us for the full "Match Day Experience"."
"Football...fucking hell.
So...along with a thousand or so others, I travelled to Paris to watch Chelsea play PSG.
I travelled on Eurostar, which was enjoyable and cost £ 150. 2 nights' accommodation was about the same in a tiny hotel near the stadium. The ticket for the match was £ 71.
I don't want to think too much about the cost of food and booze...bollocks, it was a couple of days' holiday.
I'm not too bothered about Chelsea's performance. It's not about that.
It is the actual match-going experience which pisses me off.
You have to collect your match ticket at a central point, identifying yourself with your passport.
Then, incredibly, you are fitted with a wristband. I can only assume the reason for this was to ensure that the match ticket couldn't be given to a rogue fan.
Anyway...fast forward to the game.
To enter the stadium, we had to pass no fewer than four checkpoints. Ticket and wristband inspected at the first three...a thorough (very) search by an unsmiling French Robocop at the fourth.
There are spartan facilities inside, and of course, you can't relax with a beer, unless you enjoy the non-alcoholic variety. Which I don't.
You don't sit in your allocated seat.
The game passes and Chelsea lose 2-1.
Apparently, in the lower tier (I was in the upper) fans were sprayed with pepper spray for celebrating the Chelsea goal. Seriously.
At the final whistle, we are kept in the stadium for a good half hour, before being allowed to gather on the exit concourse.
There, a line of 30-odd French police, reminiscent of psychotic Thunderbirds puppets, perform some sort of military routine as they block our exit.
Frankly, they are gagging for a row.
Once on the street, we are pushed and prodded by these twats as they try to herd us all into the Metro station, regardless of where you want to go.
I've had all this before so it's not a surprise.
But, I do wonder if there is any other situation where a paying customer is treated like this.
I didn't see him, but apparently Bruce Buck was outside the entrance area before the game, talking to fans.
Fair play, but instead of paying this scant lip service before scurrying off to his VIP area, perhaps he should have joined us for the full "Match Day Experience"."