LONDON: Manchester City FC owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has announced he will fund the flight and transfer costs for club fans who have tickets for the Champions League Final in Porto at the end of the month.
City will be making their first-ever appearance in a European Cup final when they take on Chelsea at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao stadium on May 29.
Thousands of City supporters will benefit from the initiative which is designed to ease the financial pressure on fans who have faced – and are still facing – challenging circumstances due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cognisant of how the pandemic has affected all Manchester City supporters and has created an increase in travel costs, Sheikh Mansour has sought to remove the most significant financial barrier to fans attending the final.
The Covid inflated costs, combined with necessary but expensive PCR testing, would have rendered the trip to the final unmanageable for many of those supporters lucky enough to qualify for a ticket.
Due to the necessary Covid related restrictions in place, the majority of fans wishing to attend the historic first final for the club, are required to do so within a 24-hour trip, meaning that Sheikh Mansour’s initiative will fund the transport of several thousand City fans on the official travel package on the day of the final.
Speaking about the initiative, Sheikh Mansour said: “Pep and the team have had such a remarkable season and their reaching the Champions League Final after a very challenging year represents a truly historic moment for the club. It is therefore incredibly important that as many fans as possible have the opportunity to attend this special game. Especially those who have supported Manchester City through good and bad times for so many years.”
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: “The challenges faced by supporters ahead of this final are multiple, both in financial and logistical terms. Hopefully His Highness’ initiative allows the majority of our attending fans to focus on enjoying the day rather than worrying about how to bear the burden of travel costs which have become all the more onerous due to the effects of the pandemic.”
