The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust is planning to lodge a formal complaint with Uefa after the club received only 2,000 tickets for next week’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain. That figure is 500 short of the 5% quota normally guaranteed to away teams in European competition.
PSG were granted special dispensation before the season to reduce the away allocation to 4.1% following a request from local police. The trust argues that every club visiting Paris for a Champions League match has faced a reduced ticket allocation, and it is urging Arsenal to join in submitting a complaint to European football’s governing body.
“It’s not fair that every club that plays a Champions League game in Paris has less tickets for their supporters,” said Tim Payton, a board member of the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust. “We don’t expect it will make much difference for next week’s second leg but the new format means that English clubs are going to be playing PSG more regularly over the next few years so something needs to change.”
The move has been backed by the Liverpool fan group Spirit of Shankly and Aston Villa supporter groups, whose clubs received similar allocations when they faced PSG in the Champions League this season.
The dispute is not one-sided. PSG made their own complaint to Uefa about their ticket allocation for the first leg at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, after repeated requests for an increase were refused. The French champions have been given 2,500 tickets, also below Uefa’s 5% threshold, down from 3,000 for the league-stage meeting in October. Arsenal attributed the reduction to safety concerns, partly linked to broken seats during PSG’s previous visit, although PSG officials said they had repaired the damage at their own expense.
Arsenal declined to comment, but it is understood the decision to reduce PSG’s allocation was guided by the Metropolitan police and safety advisory groups. Uefa has been contacted for comment.
