Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement to provide each other with the minimum allocation of away tickets for both legs of their Europa League semi-final. This decision means that only 1,699 Villa supporters will be able to attend the first leg at the City Ground on Thursday, May 30.
Match Details and Ticket Numbers
For the second leg at Villa Park on Thursday, May 7, Forest will bring 2,162 travelling fans. The two clubs had been in discussions over ticket allocations, with Villa set to take around 1,300 fewer fans to Nottingham than they did for the recent 1-1 Premier League draw.
Regulatory Differences
Premier League regulations require clubs to provide a minimum of 3,000 tickets to visiting teams, unless the stadium capacity is below 30,000. However, Europa League rules stipulate that only a minimum of five percent of a stadium's UEFA spectator capacity must be allocated to away supporters. This explains the reduced allocation for the semi-final ties.
Villa have only received a smaller away allocation once in this Europa League campaign, taking just 489 fans to face Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer. Although Villa will take a relatively small number of fans to the City Ground, the second leg will see Forest supporters heavily outnumbered by around 40,000 home fans.
Fan Balance and Satisfaction
This compares to a difference of roughly 28,000 home fans to 1,699 away fans in the first leg, meaning Villa will likely be satisfied with the agreement. The lopsided attendance figures highlight the impact of UEFA's allocation rules compared to domestic regulations.
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