A large number of Real Madrid fans were set to miss Saturday's Champions League final after they were left 'stranded' in Spain
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Real Madrid fans may be used to seeing their team in Champions League finals, but a large group of Los Blancos' supporters seem set to miss out on Saturday's showpiece at Wembley after being stranded in Spain.
According to AS, 270 Madrid fans were unable to travel to London early on Saturday due to an aircraft fault, having paid over €1,000 per person for travel to the final against Borussia Dortmund.
The trip was organised by the Capote y Montera supporters' club and booked with the Coge la Maleta travel agency at a cost of €1,095 each.
Real Madrid's players celebrate after winning the Champions League final against Liverpool in Paris in 2022. (Image credit: Getty Images)
With the aircradt fault unable to be fixed, Real Madrid tried to book some of the passengers on different flights, but availability was extremely low ahead of Saturday night's game and AS said only 16 had successfully made their way to London.
Affected passengers will be entitled to €250 in compensation for the cancelled flight, but that seems scant reward for missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime – even if it probably won't be long until Madrid return to another Champions League final.
Those unable to travel are expected to be offered a VIP ticket by the club to watch Real in action at the Santiago Bernabeu next season.
Meanwhile, AS have claimed that some of the passengers have been victims of a scam, although the Spanish outlet did not offer any information as to how the fans believe they have been ripped off.
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Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
