2,800 Stade Brestois supporters are expected this Tuesday in the parking lot of the Montjuïc stadium, in Barcelona. A historic trip experienced as such since the drawing of lots by an entire people and red and white, but which was not easy to organize, “far from the fluidity of organization that we were able to observe in Salzburg then Prague” , an internal source tells us. Within the club, they say they “regret the very restrictive and very restrictive rules” dictated by Barça and the Spanish authorities in the organization of the travel of Brest fans.
Firstly, “the fact that we were required quite late to recover the identity of each of the 2,800 people who will be present in the park. It was a colossal job for us. On our site, a single person was able to buy five or six vouchers, for their friends for example. So the information was not easy to find. We proposed compromises to FC Barcelona but nothing was accepted.”
Stade Brestois had, for example, submitted the hypothesis of obtaining from Barça blank tickets which would have been delivered to Brest supporters in Barcelona in exchange for the vouchers. “But they wanted all the names in advance so that they could carry out identity checks on the evening of the match”, in particular to fight against the black market.
A match classified as high risk
Paradoxically, while the two teams have never faced each other, this meeting is classified as high risk in Spain. At the Montjuïc stadium, drums and megaphones will be prohibited in the Brest parking lot and flags must not exceed a certain size.
Last season, PSG traveled to Barcelona, also in the Champions League, with the same organizational concerns. “Barça has very restrictive specifications and has zero flexibility, they are intransigent. Our supporters do not come with bad intentions, it is a celebration for us and we regret their immobility
“, we still emphasize at Stade Brestois where we also say we are “surprised and distraught at the lack of help from FC Barcelona to find a gathering point and welcome our supporters on the day of the match. We managed on our own, we ended up renting a private site not far from Montjuïc. It's a shame because when Leverkusen came to Guingamp, we did the best we could to meet their needs and this will also be the case with PSV in December.
If Barça can afford to impose its rules in terms of organizing travel for opposing supporters, it is because UEFA, which imposes a basis on all clubs, does not prohibit excess constraints. “The success of this trip is based on enormous efforts on the part of our teams,” we still maintain at Stade Brestois, who are discovering the less attractive behind the scenes of the Champions League.
Many supporters already there
On Sunday, Brest supporters were already on site in Barcelona. In a press release, Stade Brestois clarifies to its supporters how to operate in the area to recover the key to the match. “In order to attend the meeting, it is imperative to go to the voucher/ticket exchange. This exchange will take place at Poble Espanyol located at Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia Avenue, 13. This exchange will be held on Monday November 25 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday November 26, the day of the meeting, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will take place only at this place “.
