Real Madrid help ‘Grada Fans’ with 500 euro all-in deal for Kiev
According to La SER, Real Madrid will subsidize a special deal for their 'Grada Fans' which will include a ticket for the Champions League final against Liverpool.
Members of Real Madrid's Grada Fans supporters group will get a special deal on an all-in travel package for the Champions League final in Kiev. The package will include a return flight from Madrid to Kiev and ticket for the game for 500 euros. According to La SER's Carrusel programme, who cited club sources, Madrid have offered “logistical support” and will be able to subsidize costs, drawing on revenues generated by the Grada Fans, the 1600-member singing section which occupies the south stand of the Bernabéu during home games. According to the report, members of the group who are interested in attending the final must fill in and submit a request form by Tuesday; on Wednesday, Madrid will review all of the requests and decide which ones will get the chance to take up this special offer.
Singing section not mentioned in ticket allocation
It is not known from where Madrid will source the tickets for the special Grada Fans package or how many fans will be successfully selected for the deal. In the 16,626 seats allocated to Madrid by UEFA, there is no mention of any quantity of tickets reserved specifically for the club's singing section. Nor is there any official notice of the package deal on the Grada Fans website.
In the meantime, thousands of Madrid fans who have been lucky enough to obtain a ticket for the final now face the major headache in trying to find an affordable way of getting to Kiev and back. The big problem for most fans is getting back on Sunday as to be available for work on Monday. The cheapest return deal - not booked through an agency (some supporters groups have managed to secure packages through travel agencies for 930 euros), is priced at 2,322 euros and they are not direct flights but involve at least one stopover.
Odyssey getting to Kiev and back
Some fans have managed to book flights to cities close to the Ukrainian border, from where they will continue their onward journey to Kiev by bus or train. This seems to be the most economic option - flying to Lithuanian capital Vilna then crossing the border. Direct flights from Madrid to Vilna take four hours and a return ticket costs 244 euros. However there is a catch - the 780 kilometre journey by bus from Vilna to Kiev takes 13 hours... a round trip that will take 26 hours. Bus tickets are available online for 80 euros so by this route, the journey from Madrid to Kiev and back will cost 324€ in total.
Travelling to Kiev from Vilna or any other of the major cities close to Kiev (Warsaw, Minsk or Chișinău...) is the cheapest option but completing the journey by hire car poses another, serious problem. Ukrainian border controls prohibit hire cars from other countries entering the country - and especially vehicles which have been hired in EU countries. The reason being is car rental insurance policies in the EU law are not covered under Ukrainian law. Green card insurance will be required for private cars.
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|
| Upcoming matches |
|---|
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|
| Upcoming matches |
|---|
