The tie between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Barcelona ended in a 2-2 draw, but the result was not without controversy. After the match, it emerged that three of Barça’s tickets had been sold to fans outside Catalonia who were then reselling them on social media for profit. The case highlights how sports ticketing is still plagued by issues with scalping and fraud despite efforts from leagues like UEFA to crack down.
The “eintracht frankfurt vs barcelona” is a football match that took place on November 17, 2017. It was a game between two European giants who are both fighting for the title of best club in Europe. The match ended 4-4 and it was filled with passion from the fans. This article will look into how Eintracht Frankfurt fans filled Barcelona’s Camp Nou, and what it says about football’s ticketing model.
15 April 2022
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Sid Lowe is a writer from Spain.
This was a night that the tens of thousands of supporters inside the Camp Nou would never forget. They’d arrived early, a large group of people going from the city center to Plaça de Catalunya, then surging up Avinguda de Sarriá and turning into Diagonal. It was like a big march, with an unending sea of fans chanting in the evening sunlight, occupying the road with no room for automobiles. The noise didn’t stop when they took their seats, which they didn’t do for long: within just four minutes, they were on their feet, a roar reverberating throughout the stadium.
They’d begun earlier, whistling their opponents and praising their players as the squads were announced. That wasn’t the only goal: two more followed, and the game ended in a memorable triumph, despite anxieties in the last minutes when it seemed a comeback was possible, and the referee was urged to blow for full-time. They didn’t leave when he did, their spot in the Europa League semifinals guaranteed; instead, they stood, cheered, and sang. The footballers performed a lap of honor, halting on both sides and at every corner to receive applause.
The players came to a halt in front of the stands and posed for a jubilant snapshot against the ideal backdrop: a sea of fans behind them, sharing a special moment. When the supporters finally made their way out, they returned to the heart of one of Europe’s finest cities. They took a celebratory stroll through Las Ramblas. Plaça Reial is completely full. After 3 a.m., several of them were still going strong.
“I’ll never forget today; it was a really emotional experience for us,” their manager remarked. “I witnessed a stadium full of white jerseys.”
What do you mean, white?
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Barcelona announced the attendance at the Camp Nou in a tweet on Thursday during the second half of their Europa League quarterfinal second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt. “Today, there are 79,468 of us: thank you everybody,” the message said. The tweet was quickly removed; it was better left unsaid. They had concluded that this was not something to rejoice about or be thankful for. Instead, Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, expressed regret, saying he was “ashamed.”
The term “we” was the most startling in the message. They were the ones.
It’s hard to say how many Eintracht supporters were in attendance at the Camp Nou on Thursday. Officially, Barcelona had provided 5,000 tickets for the away squad, but police estimates put the number of Germans in the city for the game at 25,000 and 30,000. If the overall attendance was 79,468, the genuine figure is likely to be greater than 30,000. Looking at the stands, which were strewn with swathes of white, it doesn’t seem like a hard jump to assume that Eintracht had just as many fans as Barcelona.
They also made a lot of noise. Eintracht’s three goals on Thursday were undoubtedly the loudest ever scored by an away team. Manager Xavi Hernandez had asked to Barcelona’s supporters to make this a cauldron in the build-up to the game, but it was Eintracht’s fans who did so. “It felt like a final, when each team takes up half the stadium,” Xavi stated afterward. “I’m not sure whether that was a home game,” technical secretary Jordi Cruyff stated.
Xavi said that he advised his players to concentrate on the game rather than the crowds, although it’s difficult to say how effective such advice was. At least not completely, the balance in the stands should not be blamed for the final outcome and Barcelona’s elimination. Xavi, on the other hand, stated: “Obviously, it was ineffective. We had anticipated 70,000 to 80,000 cules.” Instead, they were given a sliver of a majority, if any at all. Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo refused to use it as an excuse, although he did confess that he was “surprised” to see so many German supporters.
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“The 34,440 tickets the club placed on sale, which were from season-ticket holders who took a year off, could not be purchased with German credit cards or from a German IP address,” Laporta said, adding that many of them had been put on a members-only sale at a 50% discount. “Those who purchased them evidently sold them to Germans.” He also said that many of the 37,746 season tickets utilized to attend the game were used by Eintracht supporters.
Laporta declared that tickets for non-domestic games will henceforth be nominative, something that had hitherto been avoided since, to put it frankly, it is a pain in the neck for everyone. Season-ticket holders who are unable to attend may be less willing to pass on, or sell on, their seat for the week. This might result in more empty seats, at least in the near term, until prices find a new level.
There are supporters that do this every week. There are other fans that do it on a weekly basis. It’s difficult to say, but there may be a core of 40,000 to 50,000 season-ticket holders who attend practically every game. The others are a diverse group of backers.
As a result, there is a more fundamental, systemic concern here. There are reasons why this occurred this time, but the background that enabled it to happen has been slowly accumulating for a long time, and this is in part an unforeseen, if maybe inevitable, result of that. It might also be a forewarning, the point at which problems in the model are exposed, when concerns of identification and access, value, price, and priority are addressed, and when the lessons learnt can be applied to a wide range of clubs. A business concept that may generate high-end demand at the expense of low-end, weekly loyalty.
This system, inasmuch as it can be termed that rather than a culture that has grown without necessarily being intended, market capitalism clawing its way back into football, has worked to provide itinerant fans access to tickets — at higher costs and not usually via the club itself. To one-time or infrequent visitors. Season tickets were refused to people who would not otherwise be able to attend. To — and this is a term that has taken on a life of its own and should be used with caution — tourists.
They come from all over the globe, which adds to the friendly and great atmosphere. They adore Barcelona or come to have a unique experience. Calculations are tricky, but there may be 10,000 or 15,000 of them per week. They come every week to show their support for Barcelona.
The answer for what occurred on Thursday night is simple: they didn’t come to support Barcelona this time; instead, they came to cheer their opponents. But it isn’t the only distinction, and this is an essential point to make in the conclusion. If “tourist” is a loaded term that is frequently used dismissively and unjustly, it doesn’t apply this time. This is where the caveat comes in, and it’s a big one: these weren’t “tourists”; these were die-hard supporters who traveled across the continent to see their team for a night they’d never forget. And, when you peel it all away, that portion was truly remarkable — something unique deserving of being celebrated in the manner Eintracht Frankfurt did.
Eintracht Frankfurt fans filled Barcelona’s Camp Nou, and what it says about football’s ticketing model. Eintracht Frankfurt was able to fill the stadium with over 50,000 supporters despite not being in the Champions League or La Liga. The club is currently playing in the second-tier Bundesliga. This is a great example of how football tickets should be priced and distributed. Reference: eintracht frankfurt news.
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