There "is fury among Liverpool fans" after tickets in the Reds' end at the Europa League final in Basel were put on sale for over £3,000 ($4,300). Tickets available on website ticketbis are on sale for thousands of pounds after both Liverpool and Sevilla "were allocated just 10,000 tickets." The choice by UEFA to stage the fixture at the 38,512-capacity St. Jakob Park "has been hit with criticism with many Liverpool supporters expected to travel without tickets." Former Liverpool player John Aldridge wrote in his column in the Liverpool Echo, "Why is it in Basel? I can’t see the logic in it. I don’t know whose decision it was, but it can’t have been a football person. It’s definitely left egg on their face. ... It’s absolutely ridiculous. Think of all the fantastic arenas in Europe that would qualify to host this sort of game, and they put it in one of the smallest ones" (London DAILY MIRROR, 5/11).
DUNDEE UNITED DOCKED: Relegated Scottish Premiership side Dundee United has been deducted three points and fined £30,000 ($43,300) for "using two ineligible players" in its win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Ali Coote, a 17-year-old midfielder, came on as a substitute, while Jamie Robson, 18, was an "unused substitute." Scottish Professional Football League rules "forbid players from playing for their parent clubs if they return from lower-league loans" after March 31. Club Chair Stephen Thompson "has resigned from his position on the SPFL board in protest at the sanction" (BBC, 5/11).
FRANCHISE BRIEFS ...
Man City is "experimenting with how fans watch games in VR as part of ongoing efforts to position itself as an early adopter of new technologies." The club has been working with LiveLike VR and Sky to "create an array of virtual experiences as part of an experimental testing phase." Man City Dir of Marketing & Media Diego Gigliani said, "We as a club are always looking into how we can be early adopters of new technology that can enhance the fan experience" (THE DRUM, 5/11).
The "controversial" new Tasman Makos logo "might be benched following backlash from fans and players." The design, which was unveiled by the Tasman Rugby Union in April, "ditched the prominent shark logo players called the most distinctive in the competition" in favor of a new logo "featuring a pair of fins inside a rugby ball." In a Facebook post, TRU CEO Tony Lewis "responded to criticism of the new logo" and apologized to fans and players. The process to design the new logo "was undertaken by the board without consulting fans or players, however in the post Lewis said they would consult with Makos players about the best way forward" (MARLBOROUGH EXPRESS, 5/11).
