CELTIC FANS are still well remembered in the city of Seville, and it shows!

The hoops fans have not been allowed access to the Real Betis Stadium on Thursday to take in the game between the two sides and a tourism group in the city are outraged.

The supporters made a big impact on the city back in 2003 when 80k supporters descended on Seville for the UEFA Cup Final. The Celtic fans were outstanding, even in defeat. So much so, the fans won a FIFA Fairplay award.

Now, with the team set to return, the tourist industry was hoping for a bounce with Celtic fans returning to watch the game.

They’ve been left disappointed and have made their feelings clear as cited by RecordSport.

The Association of Hoteliers of Seville president Antonio Luque said: “The decision taken by the health authorities not to allow thousands of football supporters into the city for European games is the latest in a series of disastrous decisions taken.

“We have now had 16 months of sanctions and many businesses will close down because of this.

“The hospitality industry would have been able to provide an economic injection that a city like Seville needs and foreign fans who would have come to the matches of European competitions of the Sevillian teams would have been delighted with our famous range of gastronomical choice.

“We have lost a lot of tourism this summer and we cannot afford to lose any more. They no longer appear to listen to us so it is time to mobilise and take necessary action.

“We have missed out on a golden opportunity this week.”

Celtic fans will still travel over to the game but maybe not in the numbers they would have.

After 18-months of fans being locked out of football and not being able to travel at all, you can’t begrudge those who go over to be in the city.

Celtic will play their first group stage match under Ange Postecoglou. Neil Lennon’s side didn’t fair well in the competition last year behind closed door. This will be a massive test for this new look side.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.