European Cup Final 1984

[meredithmathieson]

Came across an Echo European Cup Final souvenir for Rome 84 today.

 

Reading through it, found the following in an interview with Tom Saunders:

 

"The journey to Rome by Tom and Bob Paisley, to collect 17,000 tickets for the European Cup Final with Roma has shades of the spy novel.

 

They went to the club offices, after watching a game, the evening before the scenes of violence as supporters clamoured for tickets. "It was obvious to us we could have done with a guard when we saw the crowd milling about. We were given a heavy parcel, and someone created a diversion as we got into the taxi and drove quickly away."

 

The pair realised they needed a suitcase to carry home the heavy bundle, but the shops were closed. The hotel found them a case, but it had a big hole in the side. They ended up leaving their spare clothes in the hotel, and packing the tickets in their own cases.

 

At Rome airport, as one of the heaviest of their bags went through the security check on a conveyor belt, suddenly a light shone, and a bell rang, and the belt reversed itself and the suitcase came backwards.

 

Airport officials wanted to know what was inside. "Imagine their reaction when we opened up and there were the tickets for the game causing so much excitement." "

 

 

!

[Nebraska Red]

No way we had 17,000 fans there for that game.

 

It was chaotic after the game trying to get back to the airport, the police just vanished.

 

We were supposed to stay an extra day, but got bussed to the airport and home.

[meredithmathieson]

Nebraska Red: "No way we had 17,000 fans there for that game."

 

I always thought that we took 13,000 to Rome in 1984?

 

Doesn't mean that we weren't given 17,000 tickets though, I suppose.

 

As I recall there were a lot of people worried after their fans rioted in Rome trying to get tickets, plus the fact that we were playing the match in their city full stop.

 

This could have reduced our travelling support?

Edited July 9, 2012 by meredithmathieson

[Tosh]

My first reaction to that was ... if that was the level of UEFA organisation in 1984, I can't imagine it suddenly improved over the following 12 months