Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are set to meet in the Champions League final on Saturday, but their last encounter was overshadowed by a dispute over ticket allocations. The French giants won the semi-final tie last season, but tensions arose before the first leg when Arsenal allocated only 2,500 away tickets instead of the customary 3,000.
Arsenal cited security concerns and a request from local authorities, noting that the London Marathon took place 48 hours before the match. PSG, however, argued that the reduced allocation violated UEFA regulations, which require clubs to provide five per cent of stadium capacity to away fans. The Parisians lodged a complaint with UEFA after their request for an extra 500 tickets was rejected.
The dispute continued when Arsenal received only 2,000 tickets for the away leg in Paris, 500 below UEFA's threshold. PSG had been granted special dispensation to reduce the allocation to 4.1 per cent due to local police requests. The Arsenal Supporters' Trust criticised PSG's strict ticketing policy, calling for changes to ensure fair access for English clubs in future matches.
Saturday's final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest will see both clubs receive 17,200 tickets each, with 4,600 available to the general public via a UEFA lottery. Arsenal are aiming for their first Champions League title since 2006, while PSG won the trophy for the first time last season.
