Man United and Tottenham disabled fans fume at 'insulting' treatment for Europa League Final after being given just 26 wheelchair spaces each in 50,000 seater stadium - falling well below UEFA's own guidelines

Disabled Manchester United and Tottenham fans have hit out at the 'insulting' number of wheelchair and accessible tickets available for their Europa League final clash.
A mere 26 wheelchair spaces and 15 'easy access' seats, which provide added room for those with mobility issues, are available out of either side's 15,000 allocation at Athletic Bilbao's 53,000 seater San Mames Stadium.
Wednesday's final provides United and Spurs with an opportunity to give supporters some cheer after enormously disappointing domestic campaigns, but disabled fans have been left bemused as their allocations falls significant of even UEFA's own guidelines.
UEFA recommends that a stadium of San Mames's capacity, which is being reduced to 49,600 for the final, should have 236 wheelchair spaces and 236 'amenity and easy access seats'.
Even at its usual capacity, it only holds 208 wheelchair and 102 easy access seats, meaning it does not comply with UEFA guidelines.
Each club should have been given 58 wheelchair spaces and 28 easy access seats with the final's capacity, according to disabled sports charity Level Playing Field.
Mark Spencer, a member of Spurs Ability, the fan group representing disabled supporters, said the allocation was 'insulting'.
'To say I'm gutted is an understatement, he told BBC Sport. 'I wasn't able to go to Madrid for the Champions League [final] in 2019 and I thought this might be my chance - but Uefa have just not given us the percentage of seating that they should be giving us under their own rules and regulations.
'You feel that you're being prevented from watching football and supporting your team because of a disability so it's quite insulting and very disappointing.
Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association secretary, Rick Clement, said: '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.'
SpursAbility co-chair, Rita Egan, said they were 'extremely disappointed' at the allocation.
'The numbers for both fanbases are wholly insufficient,' she said. 'There should at least have been a proportionate distribution of the spaces available at the stadium, in line with the general allocation.'
Tony Taylor, the Chair of Level Playing Field, accused UEFA of 'lacking accountability' and locking supports out of the final.
'Inadequate provisions are set to result in disproportionate exclusion, on a day when fanbases should be united for a celebration,' he said.
'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.'
Level Playing Field also said it has been in discussion with Chelsea Disabled Supporters' Association about the lack of accessible seating in their Conference League final against Real Betis.
In response to the criticism, UEFA said it was 'committed to ensuring a barrier-free experience for disabled fans and are working hard to improve both standards and experiences related to this.'
'The provision of quality sightlines is a decisive factor when determining whether a seat can be offered at a UEFA club final but we also factor historical demand as this is a way in which we manage to increase the numbers in accordance to demand.
They added: 'For context: For the UEFA Women's Champions League Final 2024 in Bilbao, we allocated 60 seats and sold 59. For the UEFA Europa League Final 2024 in Dublin, we allocated 93 seats and sold 41.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mirror

an hour ago

• Daily Mirror

Emi Martinez 'pushing for Man Utd move' after Andrea Onana update

Emiliano Martinez continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United whilst Marcus Rashford is ready to return to his boyhood club despite his issues with Ruben Amorim Manchester United's summer has made a lot of noise but so far the only major transfer to take place in the arrival of Matheus Cunha - who joined from Wolves for just over £60million. The Red Devils remain on the hunt for more firepower but look as if they could miss out on Viktor Gyokeres, who would prefer to head elsewhere. The club are keen on Bryan Mbeumo but have had offers rejected as Brentford hold out for their hefty asking price. ‌ A new goalkeeper could also be on Ruben Amorim 's radar after seeing Andre Onana make a number of notable errors. He has been linked with the exit door despite having a desire to prove he can cut in at Old Trafford. ‌ Replacements have been eyed though with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez cited as a possible summer target. His future has been the subject of speculation, even if Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has dismissed any suggestion he could leave. Here's the latest transfer rumours from the red side of Manchester. Martinez holding out for move Martinez is already sold on the idea of joining United this summer and is said to have rebuffed offers from 'big-hitters' in the hope of pushing through a dream switch to Old Trafford. There has been speculation that Martinez could move on with Villa potentially needing to sell in order to meet Profit and Sustainability Rules. The Sun now claims that Martinez is 'desperate' to push through a move to United despite the fact that the Red Devils are coming off the back of their worst ever Premier League campaign. And it's even been suggested that the Villa star has ignored offers from other top clubs in order to remain available for United. A source told the publication: 'Emi is big pals with Argentina team-mate Lisandro Martinez and is keen to move. He has already knocked back a couple of big hitters in the hope of joining United. Rashford's return plan Marcus Rashford is planning to return to training with United next month if a deal for him to leave the club hasn't been agreed, according to ESPN. The forward spent the last six months out on loan at Aston Villa after being frozen out under Amorim. ‌ No bids have yet been received despite well documented interest in Rashford and, as things stand, the 27-year-old will report back to Carrington to begin his pre-season preparations. It is understood that Amorim is yet to make a decision about whether Rashford and a number of the other fringe players will join the team on their summer tour to the United States. Antony, Alejandro Garnacho or Jadon Sancho all face uncertain futures and may not been included. ‌ Monaco eye two Prem keepers - including Onana Monaco are torn between pursing two Premier League goalkeepers but could yet offer Andre Onana a route out of Manchester after two difficult years. French outlet L'Equipe have claimed that Monaco are looking to add a new shotstopper to their squad. They want to upgrade their current options with Radoslaw Madecki and Philipp Kohn currently on their books. Onana is one player who has been shortlisted along with Chelsea's Djordje Petrovic. Onana has remained the No 1 at Old Trafford, albeit he was dropped briefly last term, whilst Petrovic has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge as Robert Sanchez established himself as first choice. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Liverpool could use two players to produce amazing transfer swap deal

Liverpool have already made big moves in the transfer market this summer and confirmed Florian Wirtz's arrival at Anfield on Friday but more major deals could await Liverpool have dominated the summer transfer window thus far. They've completed the biggest deal so far in securing Florian Wirtz's signature and could pay up to £116million for the privilege. And the Reds have also completed one of the most notable deals too by bringing in £10m for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The full-back moved to Real Madrid just weeks before his contract at Anfield was set to expire. ‌ But, according to reports in Italy, Liverpool could yet be involved in another mega deal. Arne Slot's side are said to still be interested in a striker and that could provoke some big movement. ‌ The Reds have been linked to moves for Newcastle star Alexander Isak and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike and neither player would come cheap. But some creativity could make a move for another striker possible. Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web claim Liverpool have made a proposal to Napoli for Victor Osimhen. The Serie A champions are keen to offload the Nigeria international after failing to sell him last summer and the Merseyside club may have come up with a solution for everyone. The Reds are reported to have offered up Darwin Nunez and Federcio Chiesa in exchange for the 26-year-old who starred on loan at Galatasaray in 2024/25. Osimhen has also been linked with Manchester United in addition and is said to have snubbed a move to Al-Hilal. Darwin is expected to leave Anfield this summer as he goes in search of greater playing time, while Chiesa has been told by new Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso that he must play more frequently to be part of his plans. 'In these days, I called 35 players [who did not make the squad], I spoke to everyone,' Gattuso said earlier this week. 'Even Chiesa, whom I told to play consistently. ‌ "There are players who have been out but who can lend a hand. The pitch speaks: if you do things well, the doors of the national team are open." Swap deals rarely move as smoothly however with so many moving parts beyond simply agreeing a deal. And it has been suggested that Osimhen may in fact be waiting for United to make their own move. Rio Ferdinand told his Rio Presents YouTube channel: 'No.9? They already know who I want. The comments know, the people know who I want, who I would go and get: Osimhen! 'It looks like he's turned down Al-Hilal… he must be waiting for Manchester United. I don't know if Manchester United are going to come. That's the problem.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Daily Mail​

2 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Lioness captain Leah Williamson warms up for the Euros by jetting off on sunshine break to Majorca with former Miss USA

She will be leading the Lionesses at the Euros in three weeks but Leah Williamson has made the most of her summer by jetting off to Majorca with close friend, and former Miss USA, Elle Smith. The two women beamed as they soaked up the sun, went paddle boarding and dined out at high-end restaurants after growing close in recent months. Ms Williamson and Ms Smith have been sharing photographs of one another – including one where they celebrated the England star's Champions League win with Arsenal three weeks ago. Since then, Ms Smith, 26, has also posted on her TikTok, showing them doing various challenges and showing off their holiday outfits. Ms Williamson also posted snaps from their trip in which her pal commented: 'Same time next year?' to which Ms Williamson replied: 'Yes.' Although it's unclear how they were introduced, they seem to have known each other for some months as Ms Smith posted a video of Ms Williamson's 28th birthday on March 29 saying 'Happy Birthday my love x'. It showed them floating on a platform in the sea on another holiday. Ms Smith is based in New York City and London and is signed to the Wilhelmina Models agency. With over seven million views on TikTok and 122,000 followers on Instagram, she has worked with brands including Kim Kardashian's Skims, Adidas and Sol De Janeiro. Elle Smith struts down the catwalk during the Adore Me fashion show at New York Fashion Week last year Williamson. pictured in action here for England against Portugal in May 2025, played a major part in England's Euro 2022 success but was devastated when she ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament during a match in April 2023 She studied journalism at the University of Kentucky College and in 2021 was crowned Miss USA, going on to represent the US at Miss Universe 2021, where she was placed in the top ten. Ms Williamson played a major part in England's Euro 2022 success but was devastated when she ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament during a match in April 2023. It ruled her out of the World Cup that summer where the Lionesses reached the final, only to lose to Spain. But she is back to lead the team when it plays its first game in the tournament against France in Switzerland on July 5.