Istanbul Stages Football Festivities Ahead of Champions League Final
Football fans, locals and tourists enjoyed pre-match festivities in Istanbul as the authorities finalised preparations for the European Champions League final between Italy’s Inter Milan and England’s Manchester City.
Fan events were already under way on Friday in Istanbul as the Turkish authorities announced that the city is ready to host the UEFA European Champions League Final between Inter Milan and Manchester City.
“There have been three to four months of preparations. All measures, especially regarding security, have been taken,” Istanbul governor Davut Gul told reporters.
Gul said that 15,000 security officers have been deployed for the match on Saturday, the biggest football event in the European club calendar.
The final will be played in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium, where 70,000 fans from all over Europe will attend the game as tens of millions watch on television or online.
The two teams arrived in Istanbul on Thursday and held their final training sessions.
Several festival areas have been organised across the city and Istanbulites, football fans and tourists have been enjoying the attractions.
Istanbul is hosting the European Champions League final for a second time after the match between England’s Liverpool and Italy’s AC Milan was held in the same stadium in 2005.
The match saw Liverpool stage a remarkable turnaround to win the game on penalties after finishing the first half three goals down.
Liverpool’s success is sometimes called the ‘miracle of Istanbul’ and is remembered as one of the greatest Champions League matches to date.
