This year’s UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul was the second hosted by Türkiye following the famous 2005 final.
The 2005 Champions League final played between Liverpool and Milan at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium saw the miraculous comeback of Liverpool, which led to the event being named the “Miracle of Istanbul”. It is also considered one of the greatest finals in the history of the tournament.
Due to the Covid-19 postponements, the long awaited 2023 final was played between Manchester City and Milan on 10th of June in Istanbul.
Here’s why Istanbul presents a lively hub for football fans from all over the world and for any future bids to European tournaments in 2028 and 2032.
The security checks and management of the final event
A contingent of 15,000 security officers were deployed for the latest Champions League match.
Governor of Istanbul, Davut Gul, said, “there have been three to four months of preparations. All measures, especially regarding security, have been taken.”
During the event, UEFA’s security team worked seamlessly with host authorities, there were no strikes or public transport issues recorded in contrast to the 2022 Champions League final in Paris. The welcoming attitude of the Turkish police towards the fans was also noted.
According to the President of Türkiye Football Federation, Mehmet Büyükeksi, “we absolutely would like to win the bid because we see that our country is capable of organising such large-scale events successfully.”
Capacity of Atatürk Olympic Stadium
The stadium has a capacity of 72,000 seats and was recently renovated. With its modern facilities, fresh and contemporary outlook, the stadium has 134 entrances and 148 exit gates, which, in the case of emergency, allow spectators to evacuate within 7.5 minutes.
The Turkish Football Federation plans to rebuild and increase the capacity of the stadium for the next bids.
Transport networks
Istanbul’s transport network was well tested in the final match of 2023.
A dedicated metro line, with three connecting trains cut commuting time for the fans and provided the fastest and most direct route to the stadium.
On the day of the match, a free transport programme was in place. There were also free shuttle buses to help the fans move between the airports, city center and fan zones.
Istanbul Airport, ranked top-10 globally for its handling of international passengers, provided broad-based facilities to teams and fans as needed. To ease the arrival of fans, extra scheduled and non-scheduled flights and charter planes were accommodated from Italy and the UK.
Touristic spots and events organised for the fans
The ministry and the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency organised various events for the fans, through the platform of “Go Türkiye.”
Ahead of the match, fans enjoyed a four-day long “Champions Festival” at Yenikapi Event Space, in which different teams competed in 15-minute matches as part of the entertainment programme for football fans. Turkish football legends, Hamit Altintop, Arda Turan, Nuri Sahin, Semih Senturk and Okan Buruk also participated in the event.
Tom Nicholson, arriving in Istanbul for the final, said, "the event seems great. We just landed this morning (Thursday), so we’ve just come for a walk now. The people seem friendly. The weather seems nice."
A concert to express solidarity with the victims of February 6 earthquakes was the concluding event of the Champions Festival.
Gabriel Dodson, coming from the US, said, "the event's great. Everything's been perfect so far. I got here pretty easily. Everything's organised."
Before kick off fans had the chance to go around Taksim Square to see a giant model of the UEFA Champions League trophy that was put on display for the photo shoot on Thursday.
Istanbul as a new hub for international football tournaments
Turkish people’s enthusiasm for the tournament, in addition to the charm of Istanbul, provided a lively environment for football lovers from all around the world.
Istanbul’s position between Europe and Asia, and its importance in linking Europe to the Middle East and Africa, presents a positive aspect not only for logistics but also for the expansion of the European football market.
Istanbul, by previously hosting the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final, and more recently the 2023 Champions League final has proved that the city can be entrusted with the management of large-scale sporting events.
Türkiye is dedicated and has proved itself for the next bids of Euro 2028, Euro 2032 and 2030 World Cup. Büyükeksi says, “we believe that Turkey’s 85 million population, the stadiums we built over the last years and our investments in infrastructure are essential.”
Source: TRTworld.com