I used to love a European away.
Win, lose or draw, I never had a bad trip and they were often the highlight of the season. The bonds built with friends old and new last a lifetime. But I am done with them.
On Saturday, our Champions League fixtures were announced. Trips to Seville, Eindhoven and Lens. All places I had yet to be following the Arsenal (although I did go to Lens / Lille for England v Wales back in 2016).
I jumped on Sky Scanner and had a little look at Sevilla…
“Wow” I thought “that is expensive”.
I have travelled a little bit this year. Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen, with Athens and Cairo still to come.
Those trips to Scandanavia cost me around £80 each. The trip to Athens around £120. So I thought I would check the week before for Seville…
£225 cheaper to fly out the week before. It just is not right.
Now I understand that the week we play in Spain is half-term, and that coupled with the football will see an increase in demand. But this is extreme profiteering off football fans.
If I was to book today for Seville, it would cost me £462!!!
Next up I thought I would check Eindhoven. Barley an hours flight away…
£184 to fly to Holland…and the week before?
Not quite as bad as Seville, but still double the cost from one week to the next.
If I had have booked both trips on saturday, I would be paying £474 just on flights.
That is more than I have paid for the return trips to Oslo, Copenhagen, Athens and next years trip to Dubrovnik. I would still have change to go to Malta in 12 months time…
I will mis my European away trips, but with their eyewatering costs, I can no longer justify them.
Throw in the hotels (whose cost will also dramatically increase because The Arsenal are in town), and the match ticket, you are looking at around £1,000 all in for 2 nights in Eindhoven, 2 nights in Sevilla! And I have not even had a drink yet!
The new rules will mean we face 5 random teams at home, 5 random away. But instead of their being a draw in August, so at least we can try and grab a little discount on early flights, there will be 5 different draws.
The first draw will see us schedule the first two games – 1 home and 1 away. After will play those 2 gamesthere will be the 2nd draw for games 3 and 4. Then a 3rd draw for games 5 and 6. And so on.
It is an awful decision by UEFA to change the format and organisation and shows they really do not care about travelling fans.
Now some of you will be saying “well if you can not afford it, do not go”. I can afford it, I just chose not to be turned over.
Now some of you will be saying “well if you can not afford it, do not go”. I can afford it, I just chose not to be turned over.
Instead, I will stick to travelling the world away from football.
In the next 12 months it will be Athens, Cairo, Dubronik, Vienna and Malta. I will continue to meet new people, make brilliant memories. But sadly, for me, those European trips will be no more.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 