Europa League Final to go on as scheduled

Published by William | Filed under Football (aka soccer), UEFA Europa League

Fulham and Atletico Madrid square off this Wednesday at Nordbank Arena.

5/12 19:45 GMT Europa League Final: Fulham vs Atletico Madrid – Odds | Stats


After being threatened yet again by the recent volcanic ash clouds hovering over Europe, the inaugural UEFA Europa League Final is scheduled to go on as planned this Wednesday evening at HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg, Germany between Spain’s Atletico Madrid and England cinderellas Fulham. The biggest fears of the competing clubs was having to make alternate travel arrangements as many major airports were closed over the weekend, including Germany’s Munich Airport.


Fulham has already had to deal with the same travel problems once in the past couple weeks as the same volcano caused them to make the trip to Hamburg via a 12 hour bus ride, as opposed to the preferred, short flight, ahead of their looming Europa League semifinal with Hamburg SV. Manager Roy Hodgson had called for them to reschedule the final earlier last week stating how difficult it truly makes things for their entire staff, not just footballers. He reiterated Monday how they still have concerns if the wind changes direction.


“We are worried, because they are always talking about changing wind direction, and having to play at Arsenal on Sunday did not give us too much alternative. It is all very well people saying change the flights, but we are talking about 40 people and a lot of kit – it is not like someone going on a package holiday, it is a major operation.”


“It could be very problematic and I only hope we have the luck to see the ash cloud disappear from the airspace between England and Germany,” said the Fulham manager. “It is a very, very complicated matter and while our administrative team are working on it as best they can, to some extent we are going to be very much in the hands of the aviation authorities. What we can and can’t do will be decided by them, not us.”


Luckily for Atletico Madrid, they flew out a day early on Monday to ensure they arrived in Hamburg before the ash became a problem yet again. Fulham and Atletico, however, are not the only traveling parties that could also be affected.


“You would be placing the game with thousands and thousands of English and Spanish fans not able to go, which I would say is another reason for UEFA to reconsider. It would be harsh, especially on a team like ours who have had to do it once already,” said Hodgson.


One of the main reasons it is believed that the Fulham manager is pushing so hard is the injury crisis he is battling ahead of the biggest match in the history of the club. Striker Bobby Zamora and winger Damien Duff, both of which have been extremely instrumental in the team’s success this season, are trying their best to get fit ahead of the final. The absence of these two could severely dampen Fulham’s chances, especially since they are already considered underdogs. Nonetheless, Wednesday will be an exciting fixture no matter who features.


Stay tuned for our Europa League Final Preview and Prediction on Tuesday!!