Istanbul CL Final chaos | City Matters statement (p 133)

[GOULDYBOBS]

It was like bandit country near the ground. We were walking on the hard shoulder trying to flag down taxis with gangs of lads following people. The surface where the taxis and buses dropped off wasn't even tarmaced and seen loads of blues struggling in wheel chairs in basically rubble.

Beer was expensive, warm and shite and ran out far too early. Then something daft like 8 quid for a shot of water in the ground.

Still mint

 

[bondsman]

Need to change the title of this thread to cover all the other aspects of UEFA’s shambolic organisation of the whole matchday experience. As well as the shuttle bus fiasco there was the overzealous multiple security checks with inflatables not being allowed in, ridiculously overpriced and disgusting food and drink and random rip off pricing from surly staff (I was overcharged by €12.50 on top of already stupid pricing and because it was by card they wouldn’t correct it), inadequate outlets leading to huge queues for everything (90 minutes for a cold hot dog in my case) and beer running out 3 hours before kick off, no access to water without queueing for over an hour to purchase a small container for 150 lira when it’s 10 lira outside. The stadium wasn’t fit for purpose either. In a stupidly inaccessible location with seating miles from the pitch with hugely uncomfortable seats and ridiculous pricing for all but the cheapest tickets, filthy flooded toilets (that fortunately didn’t need to often because we were dehydrated due to the lack of water). An absolute disgrace.

Received a survey from UEFA about the whole experience but the questions were carefully selected to prevent any criticism of UEFA or the stadium services and were mostly focused on Istanbul as a football city. Didn’t bother submitting it.

Every word of this is spot on mate. Can you imagine if anything serious had happened at that stadium no emergency services could’ve accessed it. Crammed shuttles with folk stood up for hours was a disgrace.

 

[Pelegrinni]

I used the metro to and from the ground. Way better than what I read about the buses. Only downside was the distance to get to the fan park.

 

[Bluefen]

I always like to give every foreign city I visit a chance, but I won’t be coming back to Istanbul again. Bar the general chaos, traffic, size of the city, etc, the theft and ripping people off has left a sour taste in my mouth. I’ve spent endless time checking my pockets to make sure my phone, money and passport haven’t been stolen. Not to mention being over charged for almost everything, taxi, beer, food, etc. I shouldn’t tar the whole city or the Istanbul people in general as many of them have been very friendly, and it’s obviously the way of life in Istanbul, but the trip hasn’t been great in that respect.

Have to agree we met some really nice locals and had some great experiences with average locals cheering for little old city…. But the sour taste of the constant rip offs will be long remembered… absolutely got stitched on the first night by a restaurant that charged us a small fortune for Kebeb, salad and 4 x beers

Fairly sure one of my pictures in Nevizade St shows a pickpocket in mid-crime on Friday evening

 

[deafmanstevo]

It was exiting the bus park that was the issue, especially as all the corporates got priority exiting
Once on the motorway with police blocking side roads it was fine ,but if the bus was to have crashed due to overcrowded we wouldn't be here to tell the tale

Yes true, just glad everyone was ok.
Hopefully we wont experience that stadium again, Wembley - and people moan about that on here, and Munich should be better , if and hopefully we get there.

 

[Shaelumstash]

The fixed seats were a disgrace giving no room whatsoever to pass. We travelled to the ground by metro but checked and it said metro closes midnight but seems wasn’t the case. Organisation after the game was non existent.Walked over a mile from car park and shared a mini bus with others just to get away from the area it was actually going back to centre but got dropped off before and then got another taxi to airport arriving at 3am for a 3-30 flight ,flight delayed as loads not made it. Considering it was free transport that journey cost £70 and a lot of stress. Saw a number of families struggling with wheelchairs on the shithole of a car park .30 minutes queue for a bottle of water or food(didn’t bother) place/ organisation /facilities not fit for purpose. Will UEFA care will they Fck. Shame media couldn’t experience it but the after game hospitality was probably in full swing.

30 minutes? We queued for 2 hours for the only available food option.

The fan park at the stadium was split 80/20 in terms of beer and food respectively.

Absolutely no queues for beer all day, leading them to sell out at 6pm.

2 hour queues all day for food and soft drinks, absolutely ideal for kids in the sweltering heat!

I’m sure that 80/20 split had absolutely nothing to do with Heineken being a major UEFA sponsor.

How UEFA get these events so diabolically wrong time and time again is just utterly mindblowing.

 

[Shaelumstash]

I've got to say Istanbul has many, many charms but I'm sick of them literally making up prices as they go along.

I really liked Istanbul, but the total shambles of a transport network and the medieval barter system economy for taxis, food and drink, sadly means I’ll probably never return.

I don’t mind a bit of a barter for taxis on holidays, it’s sometimes part of the charm and getting to know the locals. But in Istanbul, there’s no charm with it whatsoever, everyone just seems out to aggressively completely rip tourists off for as much as they possibly can.

Currently in Dalaman airport where it’s £28 for a Big Mac meal and £6 for a can of Coke. It’s not for me.

 

[jrb]

..

 

[goater1985]

Spoilt the experience after the game. Wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Istanbul not for me.

 

[jrb]

Have any of you ever been on the scary 192 from town to Hazel Grove on a Saturday night? Fuck me, that is scary Especially the top deck.

 

[mcfcfxp]

Travel back from stadium on the Metro. No queues. UEFA nonsense as usual

We did that as well

 

[mcfcfxp]

Every word of this is spot on mate. Can you imagine if anything serious had happened at that stadium no emergency services could’ve accessed it. Crammed shuttles with folk stood up for hours was a disgrace.

Totally agree was a shambles

 

[xmusampa]

Have to agree we met some really nice locals and had some great experiences with average locals cheering for little old city…. But the sour taste of the constant rip offs will be long remembered… absolutely got stitched on the first night by a restaurant that charged us a small fortune for Kebeb, salad and 4 x beers

Fairly sure one of my pictures in Nevizade St shows a pickpocket in mid-crime on Friday evening

Closest I have come to being pickpocketed but was very lucky to have hand on outside and felt him teasing out but although I shouted him out he managed to do one. Bet loads weren’t as lucky!

 

[maccieblue]

Both City and Inter need to come together as one here.
UEFA have some serious questions that need to be answered through an independent body.

Having arrived home today, I’ve tried to process the events of the last 3 days, my head is still spinning, from what I had just witnessed.

From the moment we arrived at SAW airport to departure this morning,
It’s where East meets West on an unimaginable scale, a City with the largest population in Europe, from historical beauty to Cheetham hill on steroids, a cultural melting pot, it has everything and more.
UEFA have been preparing for this event, on and off for the last 3 years, and failed miserably on every level.
Following on from last years disaster, they have learned nothing, and the fact no one was killed last night remains a minor miracle.
Everyone has a story to tell, from the misinformation of shuttle buses and metro before the game, causing widespread panic.
Following a 2 hour taxi ride to some former desolate wasteland,
watching elderly and disabled having to make a 4km hike from as close as taxis could get to the stadium, with a total lack of signage and direction for both sets of supporters, made you realise that we the foot soldiers are totally irrelevant and insignificant, to a corporate world and others that held the largest portion of available tickets.
Outside of the ticket perimeter fences consisted of total 3 portaloos with over an hour waiting time
the fanzone ran dry over 2 hour before kick off, making our way to the stadium early, through narrow temporary fencing, with trip hazards along the way.
At the food concessions inside the ground, they consisted of one guy flipping burgers, with a 90 minute long queue that also ran out of burgers 60 minutes before kick off, soft drinks charged by the centre litres, everything was designed to rip off the match going supporters with total disregard.
The events following on from the game took a downward spiral of mass confusion and non direction from any authority, police and stewards stood by and allowed the inevitable to happen,my group eventually managed to find our way on to a bus, that contravened any heath and safety rules, if indeed there are any… after 90 mins of standing still in stifling heat with no AC, people became agitated, getting off the bus to make their own way, buses were blocked from exiting whilst corporate hospitality, were allowed to get ahead of the busses.
Meanwhile some of our stragglers, elderly and wheelchairs wandered aimlessly trying to get on any transport possible.
The blame lies completely with UEFA and someone is culpable, questions need to answered.
Istanbul has so much to offer, but was let down last night by a corrupt organisation.

Having said all that, I would do it all again in a heartbeat, knowing what I know now.

The only thing I will back them up on about your post is they did say the fan zone would stop serving drinks 2 hours before kick off
The rest I agree with you

 

[xmusampa]

The only thing I will back them up on about your post is they did say the fan zone would stop serving drinks 2 hours before kick off
The rest I agree with you

They shut the bars at 7 so again UEFA not quite doing what they communicated to fans.

 

[Ric]

We got the Metro to and from the game, and glad we did despite the (stupid) advice from UEFA not to do so. Everything else was a shambles.

 

[didsburyblu]

That should of been the greatest day in our history. Instead it was ruined by incompetence. Every City fan was drained after the game we Walked for two and a half hours after the game before finally getting the metro after running out of so called UEFA options. Any neutral getting on would assume City lost as the city fans were just out on their feet on the metro.


Never in a million years would I ever have thought after winning the champions league my focus would be on just get me back to my hotel and my bed but that's the reality for thousands of Blues who spent hundreds to attend what should have been a spectacle only to get caught up in some pilot for the plight of third world countries!

 

[goater1985]

Both City and Inter need to come together as one here.
UEFA have some serious questions that need to be answered through an independent body.

Having arrived home today, I’ve tried to process the events of the last 3 days, my head is still spinning, from what I had just witnessed.

From the moment we arrived at SAW airport to departure this morning,
It’s where East meets West on an unimaginable scale, a City with the largest population in Europe, from historical beauty to Cheetham hill on steroids, a cultural melting pot, it has everything and more.
UEFA have been preparing for this event, on and off for the last 3 years, and failed miserably on every level.
Following on from last years disaster, they have learned nothing, and the fact no one was killed last night remains a minor miracle.
Everyone has a story to tell, from the misinformation of shuttle buses and metro before the game, causing widespread panic.
Following a 2 hour taxi ride to some former desolate wasteland,
watching elderly and disabled having to make a 4km hike from as close as taxis could get to the stadium, with a total lack of signage and direction for both sets of supporters, made you realise that we the foot soldiers are totally irrelevant and insignificant, to a corporate world and others that held the largest portion of available tickets.
Outside of the ticket perimeter fences consisted of total 3 portaloos with over an hour waiting time
the fanzone ran dry over 2 hour before kick off, making our way to the stadium early, through narrow temporary fencing, with trip hazards along the way.
At the food concessions inside the ground, they consisted of one guy flipping burgers, with a 90 minute long queue that also ran out of burgers 60 minutes before kick off, soft drinks charged by the centre litres, everything was designed to rip off the match going supporters with total disregard.
The events following on from the game took a downward spiral of mass confusion and non direction from any authority, police and stewards stood by and allowed the inevitable to happen,my group eventually managed to find our way on to a bus, that contravened any heath and safety rules, if indeed there are any… after 90 mins of standing still in stifling heat with no AC, people became agitated, getting off the bus to make their own way, buses were blocked from exiting whilst corporate hospitality, were allowed to get ahead of the busses.
Meanwhile some of our stragglers, elderly and wheelchairs wandered aimlessly trying to get on any transport possible.
The blame lies completely with UEFA and someone is culpable, questions need to answered.
Istanbul has so much to offer, but was let down last night by a corrupt organisation.

Having said all that, I would do it all again in a heartbeat, knowing what I know now.

Sadly you're absolutely spot on. What a shit show it was.

 

[mcfcmatt]

I've got to say Istanbul has many, many charms but I'm sick of them literally making up prices as they go along.

Checked out this morning 6:30am
Id arranged our match transfers through the hotel when I booked the room a few weeks ago. €200 return, wasn’t too bothered as the car was nice and comfortable, was a people carrier. I paid on check in., cash.
Check out this morning guy try’s telling me at reception I need to pay for the transfer it’s not been paid for. I insisted it had, someone else comes over after telling him I’ve already paid he says yes you have but you owe us for 2 fantas.
Id paid for everything I’d had there which wasn’t much! As I got it.
Put nothing on the room.

I simply said I’m busy, going to catch my plane have a good day.
Walked off.
Tossers

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Checked out this morning 6:30am
Id arranged our match transfers through the hotel when I booked the room a few weeks ago. €200 return, wasn’t too bothered as the car was nice and comfortable, was a people carrier. I paid on check in., cash.
Check out this morning guy try’s telling me at reception I need to pay for the transfer it’s not been paid for. I insisted it had, someone else comes over after telling him I’ve already paid he says yes you have but you owe us for 2 fantas.
Id paid for everything I’d had there which wasn’t much! As I got it.
Put nothing on the room.

I simply said I’m busy, going to catch my plane have a good day.
Walked off.
Tossers

I had a taxi driver tell me a ride was 120 and when I agreed without a fuss he upped it to 150. I gave him 120 and got out while he shouted after me. It's only a quid but I also don't like having the piss taken out of me. Would have been fine if he'd given that as his original price. Just mental really.