Champions League travel chaos: Man City fans walking ‘up to five miles’ to Olympic Stadium
More chaotic Champions League final in Istanbul as fans walk ‘up to FIVE MILES’ due to traffic to reach Ataturk Stadium with just two hours until kick-off… as smoke ‘from a nearby warehouse fire’ fills the air
By mid-afternoon, the bars and restaurants of central Istanbul had become noticeably quieter as City fans began to make their way to the Olympic Stadium.
To avoid a repeat of last year’s fiasco, UEFA encouraged fans to take shuttle buses which began departing at 1pm local time – nine hours before kick-off – with the last scheduled to depart at 6pm .
Many supporters reported that the journey took nearly two hours with many buses stuck in horrendous traffic, while those who chose to take the subway – even with three changes – fared better as they had air conditioning and it only took 90 minutes.
While Turkish media showed pictures of fans desperately walking along a highway next to stationary traffic to reach the ground.
Once on the ground, City followers could head to an adjacent fan zone that offered food and entertainment – though many grumbled at the price of a beer nearly six times the price of Istanbul’s bars.
Man City fans have been spotted walking to the venue of the Champions League final in Istanbul
There were also reports that the beer was running low and one fan told MailOnline: ‘I was here early as advised and now I’m being sacked by UEFA for a drink and it’s gone.
“I think they should think carefully about venues for these grand finals. This place is a two-hour drive from the city center. If I’m lucky I’ll be back at the hotel at three in the morning.’