Inside Europa League Final stadium nightmare as Rangers fan testimony exposes jaw-dropping UEFA failures

The Rangers Review began hearing reports of issues in the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium well before kick-off and by Thursday morning it was clear that conditions had been poor at what was supposed to be a showpiece UEFA event. 

But as the day progressed, the drip-feed of tales became a flood as fans began to share their own disturbing experiences in the bowels of Seville's 64-year-old stadium. 

Penned In 

The problems began as fans, who were warned to arrive at the stadium as early as possible, were herded by police outside.  

They were told to stop and wait in large numbers for over an hour in the baking 35-degree heat. 

One fan told us: "The police didn’t give any instructions. They simply sat on horseback and looked right through our singing support." 

While most fans were well lubricated on arrival from the day's joyous festivities, you don't need to be a doctor to work out the result of being kettled into a tightly packed area by a no-nonsense police force. Very quickly fans became thirsty but were unable to move from where they were being held. 

This had a profound effect on the atmosphere.

We were informed: "Everyone was bouncing when they arrived at first but deflated and exhausted by the time they reached the search points to enter the stadium" 

Searches 

As fans slowly began to move forwards there was significant relief that at last, they would be able to enter the confines of the stadium and get something to eat and drink, but first they had to get through a fastidious search policy outside the ground. 

Any fans lucky enough to have brought a drink were made to bin them prior to entry. 

Joining fluids in the bin were all sorts of items, many of which fans had been told via official UEFA guidance would be acceptable on the night. 

Wireless earphones and phone charger batteries were removed and binned. 

Not only are these items valuable but the chargers were needed to keep phones alive to utilise a paperless ticket system to gain entry.  

A fan who contacted us was outraged to lose his charger but when he challenged the idea of essentially throwing a £30 electronic item in the bin he was met with aggression. 

He said: "When I questioned the Spanish official he just screamed 'missile' at me and there was no room for reason.  

"I was told if I said anything else I wasn’t getting access to the stadium. I accepted it and moved in purely for fear of missing the game." 

By this time, Rangers were aware something was badly amiss regarding entry to the ground. 

The club's Supporter Liaison Officer tweeted at 5.24pm UK time: "Our stewards on the ground are reporting that the police are being overzealous in search procedures and removing battery packs, ear pods, and ladies make up bags.  

"We have referred to UEFA security. All the above items should be allowed as they have been cleared." 

There were even individual accounts of more crucial items being taken with some given the option of choosing between their health and missing probably the biggest game of their lives. 

Some fans were asked to bin medication, including skin creams for serious conditions affected by the sun and even, extremely concerningly, insulin. Others had walking sticks removed while it's clear the Spanish authorities were also demanding any sun cream thrown out. 

This extreme vetting of the Rangers fans seems in contrast to what was going on in the Frankfurt end where the Germans were able to unveil a huge TIFO and a large-scale pyro display. 

It begs the question of how such items were brought into the ground if the same level of checks were undertaken.  

Several fans we communicated with were adamant such items would have been impossible to get through the checks given their intensive nature - with harmless items like flags and lip-stick also considered verboten.  

Inside 

As thousands of thirsty teddy bears poured into the stadium concourses gagging for refreshment, many were in for a shock. 

Several accounts suggest a few sections had no options at all, with concessions closed. 

Others were sold out of water prior to kick off with sugary drinks and non-alcoholic beer at €8 a pint the only options while some supporters claimed they were charged more than the advertised €3 price but were so desperate they didn't dare complain. 

What is crystal clear is that concession stands that were open were understocked and quickly overwhelmed by the sudden surge of dehydrated customers. 

Again, the club were quickly aware of the situation and furious at what was unflolding. 

Powerless to act they moved to the only strategy available in lobbying UEFA fiercely to rectify the situation. 

An hour and eight minutes prior to kick off the SLO tweeted out: "We have communicated with UEFA re the lack of available water for our fans. They are working to rectify." 

From accounts given to us, by start of the second half, it seems the concessions were completely sold out or shut. 

With Seville in the middle of an unusual heatwave that showed no sign of abating into the night, fans began to hydrate using the only option available to them - tap water from toilets. 

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The situation began to get so desperate, people were forced to use discarded cups and bottles from bins to collect tap water, an understandable move in the circumstance but a bizarre situation post-Covid. 

Then remarkably, even the tap water stopped flowing in the toilets, as if there had been instructions to shut down supply to the taps.  

As well as now being unable to drink, this left fans unable to wash their hands in a public toilet. 

One supporter described the panic as some realised there was no way to take on water: "People were running from toilet to toilet one after the other hysterically pushing the sink taps to see if water would come out and were manic when it didn't.  

"It was like a scene from a movie when the building is on fire and people are running from room to room trying to find a way out." 

It's clear even the players were aware of the situation with Rangers' second choice keeper Jon McLaughlin seen handing liquids from pitchside to people in the crowd. 

The plenty on the field of play was in stark, surreal contrast to what was happening in the stands. 

One fan said ruefully: "It was a slap in the face when the game would pause for the players and officials to hydrate when the fans could not."

People in clear distress 

The failure to allow people access to a plentiful supply of clean water saw many fans fall ill within the ground. 

There are many accounts of fans fainting in the heat and suffering from exposure to the sun, yet there was little interest from the police or stewards.  

We were told: "I saw two people faint and police sauntered over almost uninterested.  

"People were pleading for them to hurry and they stopped to argue back, saying, 'Calm down!'.  

"All while the guys passed out were still on the floor. It could have ended with lives lost." 

Some supporters toughed it out, dangerously, with several saying they went as long as six hours without water in the sizzling heat. 

A fan confided: "When Rangers scored, my headache from dehydration was that bad that I genuinely felt like my head was going to explode." 

Aftermath 

When the match ended, fans filtered out of the ground at nearly midnight on a Wednesday with next to nothing in the city open. 

One fan said: "There was someone selling 500ml bottles of water outside for €20 a bottle which of course is scandalous and after that, not a single shop, garage or even fast food restaurant was available for food or beverage." 

Some tried desperately to find their way back to digs in a city they didn't know with barely any charge left in their phones to use an app to map the way. 

Another unintended follow-on from the power bank debacle was some people who had to leave the game and immediately head for an airport were left without power to show proof of their flight tickets. 

One fan summed it up when he told us: "Genuinely, it was a nightmare."  

We reached out to UEFA yesterday with a list of four questions, seeking answers over the lack of drinking water, why fans had to dispose of items they had previously been told were acceptable within the confines of the stadium and how on earth fans could end up being forced to drink toilet water to avoid ill health at a major UEFA event in 2022. 

In response, the governing body admitted failures and offered an apology. 

They said: "Even though the quantity of food and beverages planned by concessionaires was much bigger than what is usually served during a domestic sold out match at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, it still was not enough to meet the extraordinary demand of the day and UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to fans for the inconvenience created." 

Such an apology will be unlikely to cut much ice with the thousands of fans treated appallingly by Spanish authorities, ruining what should have been a festival of football regardless of the final result.