UEFA has set precedent on Man Utd vs Spurs Europa League final being moved to different venue
Luke Alfred Davies
4 – 5 minutes
UEFA has set precedent on Man Utd vs Spurs Europa League final being moved to different venueUEFA has set precedent on Man Utd vs Spurs Europa League final being moved to different venue
Updated 11:25 9 May 2025 GMT+1Published 11:20 9 May 2025 GMT+1
European football’s governing body has already made its feelings clear ahead of the all-Premier League clash.
UEFA has already provided its stance after calls for the Europa League final venue to be changed.
On Thursday (May 8), both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Europa League final, which is set to take place at Sam Mames, in Bilbao, Spain on May 21.
And given the fact that both teams are from England, some have called for the showpiece to be moved to a neutral venue in the UK, which would benefit match-going supporters both financially and logistically.
San Mames, the home stadium of United’s semi-final opponents, Athletic Club, will host the final and has a capacity of 53,289.
UEFA has confirmed that each club will receive 15,000 tickets to distribute to supporters, with an additional 11,000 tickets set to be released in a general sale, with all remaining tickets offered to hospitality and sponsors.
Will Europa League final be moved?
Well, the likely answer to this question is no, if previous examples are anything to go by.
In 2019, Chelsea and Arsenal met in the Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan, a journey which takes the best part of six hours via plane, and that’s without considering other costs and problems.
Of course, due to the increased demand for transport, airlines hiked up prices to the dismay of many fans who felt they were being priced out of supporting their teams.
Arsenal penned a letter to UEFA explaining how they were “bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations, UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000″.
San Mames will host the Europa League final (Credit:Getty)
San Mames will host the Europa League final (Credit:Getty)
They also mentioned the logistical issues fans would face due to the “limited transport provision”.
UEFA responded with a statement which explained how “UEFA has committed to appoint hosts only via a fair and transparent bidding process”, something usually held a couple of years in advance of the event .
The organisation went on to explain how an all-English final was “not very predictable” at the “time of appointment” and admitted that there was “little doubt that this has added significant difficulties to the event logistics” before going on to apologise.
Of course, it must be considered that this was six years ago, and the circumstances are different with Bilbao being significantly closer to England than Baku.
Has UEFA changed a final’s venue before?
Yes, but due to unforeseen circumstances. The 2022 Champions League final, which ended Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool, was originally scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia.
However, the event was relocated and took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
What has UEFA said about the Europa League final venue being changed?
European football’s governing body haven’t official commented on the all-English final between United and Spurs but its website stipulates that “If the UEFA administration receives any such notification, or has any reason itself to believe that a match may not be able to be played as scheduled, it decides if any change will be made to the stadium, venue, date and/or kick-off time. Such a decision by the UEFA administration is final”.
But the issues associated with the all-Premier League final are unlikely to fall within the criteria as the venue is more than fit to host the game as the problems relate to demand for tickets and transport.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Europa League, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, UEFA, Football
Supercomputer predicts Man Utd vs Tottenham Europa League final after 10,000 simulations
By Callum Altimas
14 – 18 minutes
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Djed Spence in action for Tottenham against Manchester United
With wins over Athletic Bilbao and Bodo/Glimt, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed their places in the Europa League final and they will face off on May 21 for the chance to lift the trophy. For the Red Devils, it’s a chance to add their first piece of silverware under Ruben Amorim. For Spurs, it’s a chance to lift their first trophy in 17 years.
With both teams having very disappointing seasons domestically, sitting in 15th and 16th in the Premier League, European success is the only way to salvage the campaign for one of them. Truth be told, it could be what keeps Ange Postecoglou in a job heading into the summer if his side wins the Europa League. He might be out of the role regardless, with recent reports suggesting as much.
For Tottenham, there is cause to be optimistic. They’ve played United three times already this season and come out on top every single time. They’ve done the double over Amorim’s men in the league and also eliminated them from the League Cup. Will their form over the Red Devils translate to the Europa League, though? Well, Opta Analyst’s supercomputer has now predicted how the showdown will play out.
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The Supercomputer Predicts United to Win
It’s very close
Mason Mount
Despite Tottenham’s success over United so far this season, Opta Analyst’s supercomputer has predicted that it will be the Red Devils who come out on top in the Europa League final. Having simulated the game 10,000 times, Amorim’s side were victorious in the majority, but it was very, very close. According to Opta Analyst, United have been given a 50.7% chance of beating Spurs, with Postecoglou’s men having a 49.3% chance.
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes has also tipped his ex-team to come out on top, citing Spurs’ lack of experience when it comes to lifting trophies as a major factor. It seems the supercomputer agreed and if things play out like this, the red half of Manchester is set to have a much happier end to the 2024/25 campaign.
