Uefa treated fans at Istanbul Champions League final like ‘cattle’, say supporters

Uefa has been accused of treating fans at the Champions League final in Istanbul like “cattle”, with Manchester City supporters unable to return to their city centre hotels until past 3am after a late kick-off and a scramble for shuttle buses at the end of the game.

A chaotic “free for all” outside the Atatürk Olympic Stadium caused full buses of fans that had been laid on to return them to the centre of Istanbul, more than 15 miles away, to stand for more than an hour and a half before they could start to make the journey back, fans said.

Some supporters of City and Internazionale said they were unable to even get on a bus and were charged as much as €300 (£256) for a taxi from the remote İkitelli district on the far western outskirts of the sprawling Turkish city. Such a journey would normally cost about €15 (£12).

“What’s the point of having a fantastic showcase final, with fireworks and all the rest, but not having any infrastructure to get fans back,” said Steve Redmayne, 41, who had travelled with his father Colin, 74, and son Joe, 14. “It was a shambles. When we finally got on a shuttle bus back, it sat for 90 minutes without moving. We got back after 3am. We paid €150 (£128) for a taxi there, too, as the queues for the shuttle buses going to the stadium were horrendous.”

The final, won by a single goal by Manchester City, kicked off at a local time of 10pm to accommodate the demands of broadcasters.

Many Manchester City fans had already endured an arduous journey to the stadium after being advised by Uefa not to use the Metro but to take buses laid on at the port quarter of Yenikapi for the 26km journey.

Those who secured a seat on a bus between 1pm and 3pm spoke of a smooth system but fans arriving after 4pm