The Champions League final is supposed to be the pinnacle of the European football season, with supporters, players and staff alike all enjoying the sense of occasion.
It doesn’t always work out like that, and not just because one set of fans are supporting a side that’s just lost the biggest trophy of all.
With the venue for the final being changed each year, the logistics of holding such a big event must be planned well in advance and executed to the letter.
As everyone saw in the 2022 final in Paris, that was far from the case, with UEFA offering up an apology to Liverpool supporters after they were blamed for the chaos which ensued outside the ground before the kick off.
As Sky Sports reported, it was UEFA themselves and the French authorities that were to blame, and one suspected that such a debacle would never happen again.
Just a year later, and there were a number of complaints that things weren’t up to scratch in Istanbul for the 2023 showpiece between Man City and Inter Milan.
It shouldn’t be forgotten either that fans would’ve paid out hundreds, possibly thousands of pounds to be at the final.
Once again, UEFA president, Alexander Ceferin, admitted “not everything was perfect” in an address to the European Football Fans Congress in Manchester, cited by BBC Sport.
“Given what some of you experienced recently, I would understand if I got a cold reception tonight,” he said.
“We are well aware that in Istanbul not everything was perfect. I am certainly not playing down the problems encountered by some.
“But let us continue working together to improve what can we improve.
“I’m thinking in particular transport links to and from stadium, the hosting of the stadium supporters and access to water and toilets for everyone.”
That Ceferin has had to apologise again so soon after the Paris final does suggest that the governing body isn’t doing its due diligence when it comes to awarding venues the end-of-season extravaganza, and that has to change.