The famous 2005 final was the first time Türkiye held the UEFA Champions League final. This year’s final, which took place in Istanbul, was the second.
International sports events are exciting and safe in Türkiye
At the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, the Champions League final between Liverpool and Milan in 2005 was called the “Miracle of Istanbul” because Liverpool made a miraculous return. It is also thought to be one of the best games in the tournament’s history.
Because of the delays with Covid-19, the long-awaited 2023 final between Manchester City and Milan was played on June 10th in Istanbul.
Here are some reasons why Istanbul is a great place for football fans from all over the world and for any future bids to host the European championships in 2028 and 2032.
At the most recent Champions League game, there were 15,000 security officers on hand.
Governor of Istanbul Davut Gul said, “We’ve been getting ready for three to four months. All steps have been taken, especially in terms of protection.”
During the event, the security team from UEFA worked well with the local officials. There were no strikes or problems with public transportation, unlike the Champions League final in Paris in 2022. It was also mentioned that the Turkish police made the fans feel welcome.
Mehmet Büyükekşi, the president of the Turkish Football Federation, said, “We would love to win the bid because we know our country can put on such large-scale events well.”
The stadium has room for 72,000 people and was just fixed up. The stadium has modern services and a fresh, up-to-date look. It also has 134 entrances and 148 exits, so if there is an emergency, people can leave within 7.5 minutes.
For the next chances, the Turkish Football Federation wants to rebuild the stadium and make it bigger.
A dedicated metro line with three connecting trains cut the time it took people to get to the stadium and gave them the quickest and most direct way to get there.
On the day of the game, there was a free transportation plan. There were also free shuttle cars between the airports, the city center, and the fan zones to help the fans get around.
Istanbul Airport, which is in the top 10 in the world for how well it handles international passengers, had a wide range of facilities that teams and fans could use as required. To make it easier for fans to get there, more flights and private planes from Italy and the UK were added.
