Disabled supporters of Arsenal and Chelsea reject the Europa League final by Azerbaijan | Soccer

Handicapped fans turned their back on the Europa League final, joining a wave of dissent over UEFA's decision to hold the event in Azerbaijan.

Arsenal and Chelsea have sold only one pair of tickets offering access to a disabled supporter and their assistant for Wednesday's match at the Baku Olympic Stadium. Arsenal has sold six pairs of easy-access tickets to disabled fans not requiring wheelchairs and to Chelsea's four pairs.

The price of the trip, as well as the complicated and tedious logistics of 2,500 kilometers to the former Soviet republic, discouraged the disabled. They are not alone, however. The supporters' groups of the two clubs expressed their dissatisfaction with the choice of venue, as did the organizations defending human rights. This resulted in the possibility of empty seats, with both clubs having to recover about half of their tickets. Arsenal sold 3,500 of its 6,000 copies, including 2,000 to Chelsea.

Anthony Joy, president of the Arsenal Disabled Supporters' Association, will not attend the match. "Simply logistically, even before costs, it's the hardest thing I've had to plan," he said. "I just made the decision that it will not happen.

"The problems that all fans of Arsenal and Chelsea have encountered while traveling are the same for us, but they are exacerbated. If I take an assistant, I have to pay for their [plane] ticket too; I have to put my wheelchair on hold to save on costs. Most flights require one or two changes. The impact of a six-hour trip then another so soon after can be very serious. "

The complaints were not limited to travel options. According to the Center for Access to Football in Europe (Café), fans also faced a shortage of accessible hotel rooms. The Baku underground system is also not accessible to people in wheelchairs and there is concern about the lack of sidewalks on the road leading to the ground.

The stadium, with a capacity of 68,700 people, lacks the raised platforms needed to provide wheelchair users with an unobstructed view of the field. It seems that UEFA has intervened in this area and insisted that the rows in front of the section reserved for disabled people be left empty.

A UEFA spokesman said: "UEFA uses its finals as a platform to improve the access and inclusion of people with disabilities. This will be the first time that Azerbaijan has organized a UEFA club competition final and offers a new opportunity to share this message in the region. Uefa and Cafe will continue to work with football players in the region to build on the legacy of [final] and work towards full access before the UEFA Euro 2020. "