El Athletic Club informs its members, supporters, and athleticzales about the actions taken regarding the incidents that occurred in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, played on May 8th at Old Trafford. In that match, some athleticzales were affected by decisions that prevented them from entering the stadium or resulted in their expulsion, despite having tickets.
From the very beginning, the Club has acted with the utmost diligence and commitment to clarify what happened and defend the rights of its fans.
The responsibility for allowing access, according to the access and stay rules of Manchester United, lies with the head of security of Manchester United, and neither Athletic Club nor the UEFA security manager nor the deployed Ertzaintza personnel can revoke their decisions.
In this context, the actions taken by Athletic Club are as follows:
• Support during the match: As soon as the first incidents were reported, Club personnel went to different areas of the stadium to understand firsthand what was happening and tried unsuccessfully to intervene with the Manchester United security officials to allow access or prevent the expulsion of those affected. Additionally, all actions involving the Club’s fans were immediately reported to the UEFA security delegate.
• Collection of testimonies: From the same match, Athletic Club collected and documented all communications and testimonies received from the affected fans.
• Submission of incidents and request for explanations to Manchester United: On Tuesday, May 13th, at 8:30 am, a first communication was sent to the English club, requesting clarifications on each of the reported incidents, mainly grouped into the following categories:
1.- Athletic Club fans with valid tickets for areas of the stadium outside the visiting section were not allowed to enter the stadium.
2.- Athletic Club fans with valid tickets for the VIP area were not allowed to enter the stadium.
3.- Athletic Club fans with valid tickets for the VIP area were expelled from the stadium without reason for speaking Basque or Spanish or respectfully celebrating a goal.
4.- Athletic Club fans who, having entered the stadium, were expelled for speaking Basque or Spanish.
5.- Athletic Club fans who, having entered the stadium, were expelled for celebrating a goal by Athletic Club.
• Personalized attention to the affected: Athletic Club has provided individualized assistance to all those who have contacted the Club and has informed them of the steps taken up to that moment.
• Explanations from Manchester United in response to Athletic Club’s request for clarification:
1.- Manchester United states that both they and UEFA demand a complete separation between local and visiting fans, with exceptions only for Category 1 tickets, wheelchair users, and VIP allocations previously agreed upon between clubs. There are no neutral areas in the stadium.
2.- It points out that the General Admission ticket Purchase Conditions, available on its website, make it clear that only Manchester United fans can purchase tickets for local areas, expressly warning not to buy tickets outside the official club channels. Specifically:
Tickets are for the use of supporters of the Club only. By purchasing or using a Ticket the Ticket Holder is representing that they are a supporter of the Club.
3.- Regarding tickets in other areas that are not for general admission, it argues that its Purchase Conditions allow the decision to prevent or expel fans who support the opposing team or in case of the risk of incidents:
Facilities are located in the ‘home’ section of the Stadium. To ensure the safety and enjoyment of visitors to the Stadium on a match day, the Club may refuse to admit to the Stadium or eject from the stadium anyone who is visibly supporting the opposition team and/or whose behaviour may create and/or increase potential crowd disorder and/or result in a reaction from other ticket holders.
4.- It justifies the measures taken at the stadium as part of an effort to avoid potential conflicts between fan bases and protect both visiting and local supporters, as well as the club’s staff.
Although Manchester United’s ticket Purchase Conditions establish their ability to prevent or expel opposing fans from certain areas of the stadium, Athletic Club believes that this authority may have been misused. Therefore, while the affected fans may initiate their respective claims as ticket buyers, Athletic Club has informed UEFA of this situation, through its appointed security delegate and chief of security for that match.
The football we want
Beyond the decisions made by Manchester United, Athletic Club deeply regrets what happened. It regrets that fans who traveled with excitement, respect, and passion were treated unfairly and, in some cases, disrespectfully. It regrets that people who simply cheered with their hearts were prevented from experiencing a football match.
Athletic Club advocates for a model of football where rivalry is not synonymous with exclusion. A football where you can share a stand with a rival, celebrate a goal with respect, and coexist peacefully, as seen in San Mamés during Basque derbies. A football where passion is not punished but celebrated.
«Football without fans is nothing,» said Jock Stein. And in Manchester, the red-and-white fans demonstrated once again that football with fans is much more than a game: it is culture, identity, respect.
Athletic Club will continue working to ensure that what happened is acknowledged, that the damage caused is repaired as much as possible, and, above all, to prevent situations like this from happening again.
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