Club seeks compensation for Hibees
Manchester United pay out their
fans regardless
Hibs.net Editor Stuart Crowther reports on 48
hours in Athens with the Hibernian support
IT HAS BEEN A WEEK that will go down
in world history as a low point for the human race, with the effects of
terrorism in the United States sending out a black cloud around the world
and effecting in some way every living soul.
No different from anyone
else in the world, Hibernian fans this week have been shocked at the
images beamed to their homes, and this was reflected in the sombre mood as
around 800 fans gathered in Edinburgh Airport on Wednesday morning.
Many were surprised at being there, having spent the previous day looking
at these horrific images and presuming that surely all normal recreational
activities would stop? The talk among the Hibs support was of UEFA
giving notice that they may halt all European competition. The
expectation was of a long wait in the Airport, perhaps most of the day,
with every chance of an early return home. What not one person
expected was to leave Edinburgh without knowing what that UEFA
decision was.
Darkness descends on Athens, but the dark mood of Hibs fans was lifted as
the flags flew high and proud! (hibs.net)
When some one and a half
hours after the expected departure time first the charter by Sphere Travel
carrying around 300 fans, then the official Jumbo Jet carrying some 450
more, left the runway the feeling was fine, let's get on with it as
clearly someone has decided that life, and football, will continue.
The long flight to Athens reflected the mood of many supporters, excited
at the long awaited moment of Hibs returning to Europe, sombre at the same
time as thoughts drifted to those images of the day before and the reports
in the morning newspapers. Spirits though lifted as the aircraft
flew over the Greek Islands, who could fail to be impressed by such a
sight, and when the Jumbo touched down on Athens airport a chorus of
'Hail, Hail, the Hibs are here' lifted spirits even higher, but just
minutes later the news spread around the aircraft - the game was not to
take place.
The end of a long day for one Hibs fan approaches! (hibs.net)
The mood was of
frustration, anger, understanding - all three emotions etched on the faces
of just about everyone on board the aircraft. And of course the
start of uncertainty - would we simply turn around and go home? Or
would we remain in Athens for some hours before doing so? In the
event, the snap decision was to remain in Athens, and after a great deal
of debate and poor lines of communication between fans, couriers and
Hibernian themselves over the next 24 hours, the disappointed Hibs fans
returned to Edinburgh, philosophical about the events, in many cases angry
at UEFA, angry at Hibernian and some, it has to be said, angry at the
official travel representatives. The latter was
unfortunate, as if any group worked hard to make sense of it all it was
these representatives of Skye Travel and one presumes the exact same could
be said of their equivalent on the flight organised by Sphere travel,
which is expected back into Edinburgh today.
Lines of communication
were the problem, trying to make sense of good information and bad
information, decided which was which. This might have been greatly
helped had a representative of the club itself been on board what was
after all an 'official' flight, saying that Skye Travel were representing
Hibernian was simply not accepted by the fans on board. This was
particularly true on the flight home, when just 2 hours out from Edinburgh
the travel representatives announced that Hibernian had requested that all
match tickets be handed over to the Skye staff. For a start, anyone
thinking this through would have realised that with instructions to keep
hand-baggage to a minimum, the majority of fans tickets were not in the
cabin but in the hold of the aircraft.
Hibs.net took Pat Stanton to meet the fans in Athens - where he
signed a few shirts! (hibs.net)
But perhaps what caused
another potential flashpoint was the fact that fans were immediately, and
rightly, suspicious of any motives the club might have for demanding the
return of the one piece of paper that still held some value to fans who
paid around £385 each, which included £25 for these match tickets.
Why order their collection on the aircraft? It mattered little,
because refusal after refusal to hand over the tickets demonstrated that
nobody was in any mood to cooperate with this piece of foolishness, and
the idea was quickly abandoned.
The fans then dispersed
to their homes, and will now await news of what to do next. Some
would like to return to Athens next Thursday when the game is due to be
played, many are indeed in Athens now and will remain in the city until
next week! Many more simply will not be able to make the journey a
second time, years of waiting for an opportunity to follow Hibs into
Europe thwarted, for the time being at least, just more albeit very minor
victims of a vile terrorist act.
Another Hibee reflects on a long and troubled day (hibs.net)
UEFA have said that any
compensation package for fans must come from the clubs. Manchester
United, who had less than 1,000 fans in the Greek capital for their
Champions League match, have already announced £150 for all those fans who
travelled, and while it can be said United are a very large and rich club
it should also be pointed out that they have no obligation whatsoever as
none of their fans travelled on an official package. It is believed
that Leeds United are offering similar help to their own fans.
Hibernian can and likely
will claim compensation from UEFA for the aborted aircraft that was to
carry players and officials to Athens. The club last night announced
however that they will also seek compensation for the fans who travelled,
Rod Petrie saying: "We as a Club understand why this
decision (by UEFA to cancel the game) was taken and support it.
However we are very disappointed that the decision was not taken until
supporters were already in the air, and for that reason we have today
written to UEFA seeking their undertaking that they will provide
compensation to our supporters. We are also writing to supporters
who travelled asking them to provide us with details of their losses.
We cannot guarantee that our efforts will succeed - but do intend to argue
the case on behalf of our supporters."
A laudable effort by the
club, but one that will surely come far too late to allow many to return
and live out the dream they have had for the last nine years, to watch
Hibernian play in European football, the ultimate stage? The
administrative wheels need to be oiled heavily to allow some sort of
decision to be taken in the next few days. Hibernian will for
example still need to charter an aircraft to take the team to Athens on
Wednesday morning - so why should that aircraft not be once again a 747,
carrying not only the players and officials but any fans who made the trip
this week who are able to travel again? This certainly was the view
of many fans returning home on the official flight yesterday, the feeling
being that they would be happy enough to pay once again for hotel
accommodation if the club provided the means to return to the Greek
capital.
Hibs.net's Mark Strachan in the midst of the Athens party
(hibs.net)
For those unable to
return the wheels of administration need not matter so much, and some form
of compensation at a later date would be gratefully accepted, with a great
deal of credit going to the club for fighting the corner on behalf of fans
who took it on the chin, went into the centre of Athens and partied in
defiance of anyone who might tell them they should be doing anything else.
That is certainly an aspect of the journey to Greece that has reached the
ears of the Hibernian board, with Petrie also saying last night:
"I would also like to extend the Club's thanks to the
supporters who, through no fault of their own, found themselves in Athens
with no game to go to. Their behaviour in that city has made the
Club new friends, and they deserve great credit."
There has been since
Wednesday morning a great deal of recrimination, with angry words from
many fans voiced for the most part in understandable frustration.
Travel company staff untrained in dealing with such a situation were
having to make the best of things, under sever pressure, while information
from Hibernian was being passed via Hibs.net as most other media
representatives were left on the tarmac in Edinburgh on the same flight
that was to carry the players. It is fair to say that lessons will
have been learned, the hope now is that decisions are now taken quickly to
ensure that every fan who backed the club to the hilt in this last week
are themselves given every help by the club.
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