Athletic Club Slash Away Tickets for Crucial Atalanta Showdown

Bilbao supporters hoping to witness their team’s potential Champions League lifeline in Italy next month have been dealt a proper kick in the teeth, with the club reserving an unprecedented chunk of away tickets for officials and sponsors.

The Numbers Game

Athletic face a do-or-die situation in their Champions League campaign. Currently sitting on just 5 points, the Basque outfit must win their remaining matches against high-flying Atalanta (13 points) and Sporting CP (10 points) to progress to the knockout phase.

For the critical January 21st clash in Bergamo, Athletic have been allocated 1,304 tickets by Atalanta. However, in a move that’s raised eyebrows among the faithful, the club has announced only 986 will be made available to socios, with the remaining 318 tickets (a whopping 24%) reserved for “club commitments”.

Breaking with Tradition

This represents the highest percentage of tickets held back by Athletic during their European campaign:

• Atalanta away: 24% of tickets reserved by club (318 of 1,304)
• Newcastle away: 19% reserved (approximately 380 of 2,000)
• Dortmund away: Just 11% reserved from their 3,813 allocation
• Slavia Prague away: Only 51 tickets (5%) from 1,024 held back

The decision seems particularly harsh given:

1. The Gewiss Stadium’s modest 26,000 capacity
2. The match’s crucial importance to Athletic’s European campaign
3. The €30 price tag and mid-January timing already creating barriers for traveling supporters

Deadline Looming

Socios interested in purchasing one of the remaining tickets have until Friday to register their interest. Many will be hoping for a different outcome than their last European away day, where Newcastle handed them a proper hammering.

With Athletic’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, the question remains whether those 318 corporate seats will be filled with the same passion as the travelling supporters who’ve been left empty-handed.