‘Aston Villa could still open away end vs Maccabi Tel Aviv as Villa Park awaits UEFA greenlight’
Aston Villa could still make tickets available in the away end for the match against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv fans have been blocked from Villa Park as the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) refused to offer a safety certificate if away supporters were in attendance.
Local MP Ayoub Khan lobbied for this call against Maccabi Tel Aviv due to the existing tensions between Israel and Palestine.
The Villans have come under fire over this decision, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking out against Villa in mid-October.
Villa Park will host Maccabi Tel Aviv on 6 November in the Europa League, and could make away end tickets available in the weeks leading up to the clash.
Aston Villa home fans could sit in away end vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Villa previously denied Legia Warsaw entry to the B6 ground after turning up in huge numbers despite a ticket allocation of just 800.
This occasion didn’t allow for preparation, as local authorities made decisions on the night for the safety of matchgoing supporters.
The Tel Aviv clash is still over a week away and could afford Villa time to sell more tickets to the claret-and-blue faithful, but in the away end.
It is unclear whether UEFA has legislation against this, but finance expert Dan Plumley believes the Villans could ask the question to hand themselves a monetary boost.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Plumley said: “If UEFA don’t have a stance on that [opening the away end to home fans], then Villa could look at the potential of opening the away end up to home fans.
“There’s a short time frame to shift those tickets, so the answer is probably somewhere in the middle.
“The situation has gained a heavily critical reaction from a number of people, and it’s still got a way to rumble things. UEFA will have to take a view on things, and depending on what happens with that, then you’re into the realms of whether Villa can benefit financially.
“If they get the green light, I’m sure the club will be open to selling more tickets to home fans.“
Aston Villa could secure financial boost from Maccabi Tel Aviv clash
There is bound to be a tense atmosphere surrounding the Europa League clash in B6 based on the build-up alone.
Villa could certainly make the most of this by making more tickets available with a view to selling every seat inside Villa Park to home supporters.
Having an extra section to sell tickets in could hand the Midlands outfit an additional payday, making the most of a difficult scenario.
The away area of the ground typically provides 2,900 seats, so if tickets are sold at an average of £50, that could be an extra £145,000 to add to the gate receipts in B6.
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