A Barcelona fan’s navigation mishap led him to the wrong St James' Park, missing the Champions League match between his team and Newcastle. The supporter, who travelled from London, arrived at Exeter City's stadium instead of Newcastle's, a difference of 366 miles.
It was only when he presented his ticket to Exeter staff that the mistake became clear. Rather than turn him away, they provided him with a ticket for their League One match against Lincoln City.
“One of our volunteers came to the office to let us know that this guy had turned up expecting to see FC Barcelona,” said Adam Spencer, Exeter’s supporter experience officer. “His English wasn’t great, but from what we could gather, he’d come from London. He was pretty gutted and a bit embarrassed. So we sorted him out a ticket and he got to watch a game at the real St James Park.”
While the Barcelona fan watched Exeter lose 1-0 to Lincoln, his team salvaged a 1-1 draw at the real St James' Park in Newcastle, courtesy of a Lamine Yamal penalty in stoppage time.
