Bilbao has a particular smell throughout the year. Walking among its streets there is a special aroma that surprises visitors. It is the essence of footballthat from San Mamés floods every corner of a city that beats to the rhythm of its rojiblanco heart. Athletic Club's shirts are the official uniform of Bilbao and conversations about the lions, the most listened to the bars of the city bars.
This week, on the other hand, the air of the Biscay capital is different. The smell of football is still intact in the environment, but now has an aftertaste to English scarves, to flags to be released already previous nerves to dispute a great final. And, Bilbao lasts the preparations to become on Wednesday European football epicenter with the End of the Europa League that is played in 'the cathedral'.
Between 50.000 and 80,000 fans of the Tottenham Hotspur and of Manchester United They will arrive in the city to encourage their teams in a match that is worth a title. The big appointment comes just two weeks after tremendous disappointment that was the elimination of Athletic in semifinals before 'the Red Devils'. Ernesto Valverde's team could not overcome the fire test and saw how the illusion of all his fans of playing the Europa League final in San Mamés escaped between his fingers.
But, once the discouragement is over, thanks also to the great season harvested by the Basque club, which will allow the next campaign to play the Champions League, The city and vizcaya in general have gone to work to take another step in that career of Internationalize Bilbao through the celebration of great events. He Francia Tourthe final of the Champions Femeninalas Rugby endings O off MTV Awards They are proof of the commitment that has been carried out in recent years by the institutions.
Sculpture of a commemorative giant ball in a Bilbao street, where the Europa League final will be played. / LUIS FABRIC / EFE
Bilbao, in the European showcase
All these great events help position the name of the city abroad and attract large amounts of money. But, at the same time, they suppose a complicated management challenge. On this occasion, only 49,600 spectators will attend the stadium. Of these, a minimum of 15,000 will be fans of each team, in addition to another 11,000 neutral fans and some 8,600 tickets distributed by UEFA. The prices of the 41,000 locations put up for sale range from 40 euros of the cheapest to 240 euros of the most expensive.
To receive all British fans in the best way, the villa already He has dressed in his best galas and has dyed places and streets with the colors of the competition. Large balls, flags in the street lamps, buses and trams, and even regular banks transformed into benches adorn a city that already breathes the final atmosphere.
Surrounded by this atmosphere, citizens continue their day to day while the authorities prepare to face A challenge in terms of mobility, logistics and security. The exam will test the Organizational Capacity of Bilbaothat the possibility of consecrating as one of the cities in which to trust an event of these magnitudes is played. In this scenario, the people on foot do their best to fulfill their routine, trying to dodge the inconveniences and obstacles that a celebration implies, above all, the day of the game, where a tide of English fans will fill every corner.
No beds and with triggered prices
The tens of thousands of people who are expected have already completed the hotel capacity of Bilbao and its surroundings and have even touched the absolute full in San Sebastián and Álava. Before such demand, Room prices for the night of May 21 have shotmultiplying their prices 15 or 20 times. For example, a 2 -star hotel in the Historic Center of Bilbao Cobra for a room for two people on the night of the final 5,500 euros, while that same stay a week later has a price of 185 euros. This is just an example of what a general tonic is.
Booking hotels prices maps for the day of the final and for a week later. / Redacción
The lack of availability and exorbitant prices has unleashed indignation among English hobbies, which have shown their frustration in social networks and have raised the possibility of sleeping in the street. “The prices are not of this world. Who can pay 1,500 euros for a hotel night?” Asks a fan. Others recognize that the night will spend the weather before returning to the airport and ask if it is safe to sleep in the street.
“In Bilbao there are 5,000 rooms and more than 80% has been sold more than a year in advance”
Given this price increase, the president of the Bilbao Destination Hotel Association and director of the Zenit Hotel, Joseba Goirigolzarridefends that the vast majority of the rooms are reserved for a long time in advance by the event's own organizers and the striking prices that have generated a certain controversy in recent weeks “do not represent or 0.5% of the offer.” “In Bilbao there are 5,000 rooms and more than 80% has been sold more than a year in advance and not at those prices. The price range is lower, they do not reach 800, or 700 euros ”, Goirigolzarri says.
Beyond the benefit that hotels can obtain on such a date, destination president Bilbao highlights the positive consequences that it will bring later: “It is another impulse for the future than for the present. The hotels business is recurrent, we need to fill every day. Therefore, the important thing is the image that Bilbao projects, which will be what attracts visitors in the future. ”
“A gold client”
Another of the sectors that await with illusion this appointment is that of the hospitality, which has made supply of goods and template reinforcements to serve the British. “The supplier distribution system is quite advanced and we do not have big problems, but you have to make orders in advance so that a real cap is not formed,” explains Héctor Sánchez, manager of the Vizcaya Hospitality Association.
Bars and restaurants play with the advantage that the English football fan is characterized by possessing a high purchasing level and a devotion to beerthis is what Sánchez calls “A gold client for hospitality” In addition, the establishments celebrate that the municipal operation will finally allow opening without restrictions on the bars, restaurants and businesses that are within the security perimeter, something that did not happen in the three games at European level played in San Mamés previously.
Faced with this scenario, Sánchez wants “everything runs without incident, that a healthy party is held and that visitors take a positive image of Bilbao and the people we live here.”
An image of the San Mamés stadium. / LUIS FABRIC / EFE
Freedom for hobbies
The Security Minister, Bingen zipirihe said last week that the fundamental thing is that both hobbies are not in access to the stadium, so each of them will reach the immediate vicinity of San Mamés flanked by a large number of agents of the Ertzaintza. The rest of the day, Both fans will have the possibility of moving around the city without any limitation. The Arenal has been declared as the amateur zone, a neutral space for the followers of both free access equipment. While the respective 'Fan Zone', the meeting points of the fans of each team, will be located in Ametzolafor the 'spurs', and in the Parque Etxebarriafor the 'Red Devils'.
The day of the final will take place a series of activities before the ball to roll. Among which the most stand out, you can find a party of legends, with former players who have played the competition, and a meeting in the morning of the UEFA Executive Committee.
Although the party has not declared high risk, institutions have prepared a wide device with, among other measures, about 2,000 agents of the Ealtzingthe bulk of the available municipal police staff, the bomber body and firefighters reinforced its usual guard and 60 operators and operators of the cleaning service, which will be responsible for keeping the brightness in the streets. Regarding access to San Mamés, the authorities will establish three perimeters around the stadium to control income and guarantee the security of the attendees. These rings will allow entry controls and avoid the introduction of prohibited objects.
A tram announces the Europa League final on May 21. / LUIS FABRIC / EFE
Flights and restrictions
A good part of the visitors will arrive and leave the Basque Country by plane, in the 165 charter flights that will manage Aena In the airports of Bilbao, Vitoria, San Sebastián and Santander between May 20 and 22, from different British locations.
Of these, that of Bilbao, which will receive the two football clubs, will manage a total of 79; that of Vitoria, who will centralize the return to the house of the fans of Tottenham once the game ends, 34; The one of San Sebastián will attend 13 flights and the severe Ballesteros-Santander another 39 charter flights.
Although perhaps what most impact negatively on citizens will be the different conditions and restrictions that already suffer since yesterday in aspects such as security, traffic, parking or mobility, among others. Already for the same day 21, it is recommended not to use the private vehicle and access Bilbao in public transport, mainly Metro and Train, whose services will be reinforced.
The device contemplates multitude of traffic cuts. The most important will occur in the surroundings of San Mamés and will fundamentally affect the neighborhoods of Basurto, INDAUTXU and OLABEAGA, in which the longest traffic cut will occur, which will last between 00:00 on May 21 until 05:00 hours on Thursday, day 22.
With everything prepared for the show, it is only necessary for the ball to roll on the grass of San Mamés. Bilbao, this time without Athletic as the protagonist, will attract all the foci of the football industry being the scene of a final in which his potential will show the world to host great events without losing an apex of his identity.
