Delaney: Europa final will be sellout

ALTHOUGH the absence of Liverpool and Manchester City means the economic spin-off from Dublin’s hosting of the Europa League final might not be as great as was first hoped, FAI chief executive John Delaney says that game at the Aviva Stadium on May 18 will definitely be a sellout.

“If Liverpool or Man City had got to the final, there would have been a huge influx of fans,” he said.

“We have seen that before when Rangers came down to Manchester and when Celtic played Porto. But, that said, we have four big teams in Porto, Benfica, Villarreal and Braga. All four of the clubs have told us they will take their 12,000 ticket allocation at least, some want more. The game will be sold out, there is no question about that.”