A few of them, and a few former reps (me included) were there and we're talking about this. I'm also an FSA member and will be contacting them as well.
At the end of the day though, UEFA, like City, will do whatever they want and stuff us fans.
Perhaps when the UEFA bigwigs attend our next home game, we should put them up in Morecambe and tell them to make their own fucking way to the stadium. Or send a driver who only speaks an obscure Amazonian dialect and hasn't a clue where he's going.
The people of Istanbul made us so welcome. The police were sensible and just stood back. However, the big ground is too far out and is too remote therefore the final should not be there again.
I had no issue with the stadium itself bar the seats and lack of water available, it’s the infrastructure they hadn’t even tarmaced the road up it was a building site, 5 lanes into one, no direction or stewarding outside etc. Nothing will be done and it will all happen again, Wembley next year they will complain that the tube can’t handle 90k fans you only have to look at the coach park at the FA cup although unless it’s an English team that gets there it might not be such a bad problem, the difference been the drivers will know where to go etc.They were looking to knock the Atatürk stadium down and build a 90,000 football purpose stadium for a failed Euro 2024 bid. If Turkey are looking knock something down that was built in 2002, surely it’s not fit for purpose and should not have been holding a Champions league final.
Not sure what we can do? Come on Alex, City Matters should be kicking off big time with the club, and the club even bigger time with uefa and in the media. 2 main questions (1) why have the club not raised this in the media, 4 days after the disgrace? (2) please ask the club what risk assessment they took about fan safety l, safeguarding and treatment? They have a duty of care to us too dont they? I fucking hate liverpool but at least the cunts stick up for their fans, we say and do nothing.Just about to take off back to Manchester. We resorted to a £100 cab ride back to our hotel. Already in the process of raising it with the club, although I’m almost certain that they’re already aware. Not overly confident we can achieve anything with UEFA but we’ll see what we can do.
Not sure what we can do? Come on Alex, City Matters should be kicking off big time with the club, and the club even bigger time with uefa and in the media. 2 main questions (1) why have the club not raised this in the media, 4 days after the disgrace? (2) please ask the club what risk assessment they took about fan safety l, safeguarding and treatment? They have a duty of care to us too dont they? I fucking hate liverpool but at least the cunts stick up for their fans, we say and do nothing.
If the club are “almost certainly aware” why haven’t they said a dicky bird about it? The club allowed up to 25k Blues to rot at the mercy of an organisation they know hates us. In fact if uefa had brains I would say the disgusting treatment of us was deliberate
Don't put any of this on your own shoulders, mate. It may have been up to Turkey to get things in place, but it is UEFA that allowed it to go ahead without any proper assessment. They had 3 extra years to make sure what we experienced didn't happen and should have moved it 6 months ago when they knew there was no real plan.i have so much to write about those issues. i am writing, and erasing immediately. dont wanna get into trouble. issues will be mostly political (police, government stuff, shitty stadium etc.)
younger-middle aged fans; you had a great experience about a 3rd world country. take it that way. but i still apologize for the problems you experienced.
but, i am really
so sorry and sad about elderly and disabled fans....i send my deepest apologies for my country. actually i forgot to think about that issue (disabled and old fans) when i started to write you. wish that issue came to my mind, maybe i could have done better. i could easely arrange some busses for them; but could not think that uefa shuttles will be that shitty. anyway, everthing has been passed. nothing i/we can do. actually i wanted to write those issues to municipality, but i am sure they will not care. anyway really sorry.
i was expecting a chaos after game. dont wanted to scare you much, as some of you know, i stopped writing negative issues about istanbul after a while.... anyway, again, it has been passed, nothing again i/we can do.
why am i writing this? dont know. just sad about the disabled fans and elderly esp. again sorry guys. so sorry. i hope you are safe and calm now.
you have experienced at least some of the stuff we are dealing with in this country...
keep in touch next time, for the ones who will come to visit again. everthing will be better. i will involve more. and 100% wear my scaremonger mask; will not care about any criticism about my pessimism.
see you later.
Mirrors my previous post about a young lad in a wheelchair and the farce getting in and out, along with the wankers masquerading as taxi drivers charging prices I’ve never seen before.Copied this off a Facebook mate, goes every single match home and away including all European aways so we’ll versed in travelling to European aways;
ONE WHEELCHAIR USER AND HIS CARERS MATCH DAY ACCOUNT OF A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL.
Well the celebrations are over after a fantastic hectic six days, apart from a total disgusting 12 hours in the hands of Uefa and adhering to their requests and advice, around pre and post match transportation from the centre of Istanbul and return journey.
Barry and myself arrived at the designated bus transportation hub at 4:10pm and joined a very lengthy queue which people were saying was at least 1-2 hours before getting on a bus, asked if there was a designated lane and access for wheelchair users, one young lad walked down to the front and came back and informed us that there was, and so we walked down the side to the gate with a wheelchair sign on it, the amount of abuse we got whilst pushing my mate in his wheelchair to it from other city fans, calling us all sorts for “pushing in” was heartwarming to say the least, hope none of those ever end up having to use a wheelchair, on second thought I probably do so you know how it feels.
Anyway got through the cordon expecting to be put on designated buses for wheelchair users, in the hope that it makes things easier for the able bodied, but no, just squeezed on along with everyone else. Then set off to the stadium which took 2 hours 20 minutes to do 19KM, one road in one road out, thankfully we’d bought some small bottles of water. Finally got to the dirt track leading to the stadium where the bus just pulled up halfway up the hill and told everyone to get off, got of onto a so called car park made out of loose building rubble that had not even been rolled flat, tried pushing the wheelchair forward, front wheels just dug into rubble nearly causing chair to fall forward, easiest way was for me to walk backwards dragging chair backwards for a good 500 metres to where the supposed adapted bus was waiting to take you to the stadium entrance, the bus had a wheelchair lift but depending on size of wheelchair would only fit one chair in at a time, bearing in mind City had been allocated around a hundred wheelchair bays which were all sold as far as I know, anyway we were able to get ours in along with Stephen Lane and his chair. Arriving at the stadium we were dropped off and told bus would be there after game had finished. Entrance was ok two searches before a final show of phone with mobile ticket, which when I went to turn it off was only my screen saver and not the electronic ticket, then another search where they grabbed the two small bottles of water from the back of the chair, I explained they were needed for taking medication, told to buy it inside if we needed it. Then as we went past them there was several scruffy looking locals with obvious fake lanyards and passes selling bottles of water and sandwiches along with pyro flares which were on Uefa’s banned list for stupid amounts of Euros.
Luckily we had a great position in the ground to enjoy seeing us win the trophy.
Exited the ground back to the point for supposed transport back to buses, to be told bus had taken four wheelchairs back and won’t be back now because of amount of traffic, so had to push Barry back to the car park of rubble up a hill that was akin to reaching Everest base camp.
Once back on the car park of rubble absolute chaos not a sign or steward in sight directing people to buses to airport or city centre and pitch black only lighting from cars and minibuses, again having to drag the chair backwards.
Eventually saw a so called steward about 16 years of age telling people buses back to city centre keep walking down hill, so set off dragging wheelchair backwards down through rubble dodging in and out between taxis and minibuses literally risking our lives, then saw another person in a wheelchair tip over and onto the floor, thankfully he was helped back into his chair, another lad his front wheel buckled then had to be wheeled backwards just on the back wheels, along with numerous others on crutches and walking sticks, all heading down the hil as instructed, finally got to the bottom approx quarter of a mile to find no buses only to be told by coppers who couldn’t care less about what was happening all around, that the buses were back up at the top of the hill at the furthest point at the back of the car park, yes we had to set off back up the hill to locate the buses, again people tipping out of chairs, seeing one lad literally crawling and another ending up having to be carried on someone’s back, we luckily arrived at the bus again lucky not to have been hit by cars and buses and a few threats being made to taxi drivers, glad they never wanted a fight as I was too knackered to have done anything.
Finally back on a bus for another 2 hours back to the centre, dropped off nowhere near where we we’re supposed to have been, metro had shut by time we got there, then had to try and locate a taxi with thousands of others, finally got one who first wanted 150 euros to take us back to apartment just past Taxim Sq, politely told him he was taking the piss and he dropped the price to 50 which we took just to get back, finally arrived back at our apartment at 04:20am.
Now that’s one small reason we fucking hate and boo Uefa.
Around the city the locals could not have been more polite and helpful as we negotiated ourselves around the metro and city centre.
I know of the horror stories of the numerous people that had their pockets and bags done, also one lad stabbed in the kneck and having his back slashed by locals.
Did not hear of any trouble whatsoever between City and Milan.
Istanbul you will never be forgotten unfortunately for the shitshow organisation, but most of all for our first Champions league trophy win and completing the treble.
Tbf to the fans not giving seats up it’s a difficult one. Our group of 5 had been on our feet for around 9 hours when we got the return shuttle (stood on the 2 hour shuttle there) so we didn’t get on any of the first available buses, instead we went to a bus that had no signs of where it was going and no lights on. Our gamble paid off and we were first on and got seats. By this time we were all knackered but able bodied FOC’s, I personally have heart arrhythmia and I couldn’t have stood for another 3 hours which is what it took to get back.Disgrace. All them gypos were allowed in past security and police, a couple accosted my autistic father. Bent as fuck and totally lawless. It's been a difficult one over there with somebody with a disability, and also shocking to see other City fans hassling a wheelchair user for "queue jumping". I begrudgingly stood and waited in the same queue for this exact reason. Not all disabilities are visible but this is shocking behaviour towards a fellow City fan and one who's visibly disabled. Put the pint down lads and have some common decency. Similar reports of people not giving up bus seats to a bloke on crutches. Selfish boozed up Brits abroad springs to mind.
I stood the entire journey both ways because I could and I didn't know who had invisible disability. I am 60 fit enough so I could but there were men of my age really struggling and they had to sit down and fans swapped with each other.Tbf to the fans not giving seats up it’s a difficult one. Our group of 5 had been on our feet for around 9 hours when we got the return shuttle (stood on the 2 hour shuttle there) so we didn’t get on any of the first available buses, instead we went to a bus that had no signs of where it was going and no lights on. Our gamble paid off and we were first on and got seats. By this time we were all knackered but able bodied FOC’s, I personally have heart arrhythmia and I couldn’t have stood for another 3 hours which is what it took to get back.
There were older less mobile passengers than us but I was honestly so fucked common decency of giving up my seat went out of the window. Finally got back to the hotel at 4:30, about an hour later I was awoken by the most excruciating cramp in both legs I’ve ever experienced, I can only put that down to being stood up for a very long time. Metro, walking to and from transport, stood at the game, stood on trains and buses, a very tiring experience.
I’ve emailed Danny asking the club to take up the matter with UEFA. I’ve also been contacted by Liam Bird of Level Playing Field.I’m not sure of it mate, but I’ve seen people ask about it before and sure someone will jump in with it.
My guess would be danny.wilson@mcfc.co.uk but it would most definitely be a punt.
edit…done a forum search and people say it is the one I’ve guessed at, but seen some also say it’s danny.wilson@mancity.com
Do it to both and sure it’ll get there.
Sunday there was brilliant!Unfortunately I was on a flight early on Sunday morning. The fuck up after the game meant that I couldn’t go out and celebrate properly with other blues. I feel cheated by UEFA in that respect
Saw the videos. A few mates stayed out longerSunday there was brilliant!