Bucharest, the European football capital for one day

Tens of thousands of Spanish team supporters Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao will continue to arrive in order to participate at the sportive event of the year in Romania –the Europe League final.

The game will be live broadcasted by Radio România Actualităţi starting 21.40.

On Wednesday Prince Felipe will also arrive, the inheritor of Spanish crown, the one who will hand the Europe League Cup to the winner team.

The supporters of the two teams are separately taken in special coaches from Otopeni airport, where are expected another tens of overhead line or charter flights.

"The flows are totally separated, so that one of the teams will arrive on a flow that is for the moment the usual flow for international arrivals. The supporters of the other team will arrive on a flow that is used for the moment for internal courses, but the supporters of the two teams will never meet, except when they enter the stadium", has explained the Otopeni airport spokesman, Valentin Iordache.

The road traffic will be restricted on the arteries around the National Arena and in the area of Piaţa Constituţiei and George Enescu, where the supporters can see the match on gigantic screens.

The closing of streets has determined though the traffic to be heavy on the adjacent arteries, and practically the circulation was blocked.

For the tourists’ comfort, the subway and RATB timetable was extended until 3.00 a.m., which did not happen in the case of matches played last year by Steaua in
Europe League, on the same stadium, game which was played at a late hour.

The supporters are advised to renounce at personal cars and use means of transport.

RATB will introduce special bus routes and over 5000 policemen, gendarmes, customs officers and firefighters will assure the public order and safety activities.

The Spanish, excited about Bucharest

The EFE agency has made a reportage about Bucharest and about the Spanish supporters who have came in Romania for the Europe League final, in which is mentioned that the city has pleasantly surprised almost everybody.

"The city has pleasantly surprised almost everybody. There are less stray dogs than we expected, many beautiful buildings and some very well accurate. The people from here seem kind. Many of them know Spanish, as well as Italian, and make efforts to make themselves understood. The weather is the same: the sun has shone all week, and the temperature was around 25 Celsius degrees", notes EFE.

The Spanish agency also presents the statement of a supporter from Bilbao regarding the Romanians’ linguistics aptitudes: "They are charming".
EFE mentions that at night, the streets in the old center are full of "red-white shirts".

"Supporters of both teams are meeting in the old center, coming from the hotels. At the traffic lights, Romanian passengers ask them who they support and wish them luck for tomorrow. This final will change many Spaniards’ perception about Romania and will make from at least one Bucharest citizen a supporter of Athletic or Atletico", adds the Spanish agency.

The Spanish agency also warns that the supporters who come in Bucharest without match tickets will have to empty their pockets in order to face the prices asked by those who re-sell the tickets, which can be three times more expensive than the official ones.

EFE mentions that Bucharest is a "fiesta" a day before the Europe League final, a city "eager to make the visitors feel like home."

Increased security measures

Over 5000 employees of the Administration an Interns Ministry will punctually act, supplementary compared to the current dispositive, in order to assure the public order, the road traffic flow, the prevention of fires and intervention in emergency situations at the Europe League final from May 9.

The Europe League final will be played between the Spanish teams Atletico Madrid and Atletic Bilbao on National Arena from Bucharest.

During the match , there will be involved 2900 policemen, 1600 gendarmes, 700 firemen and 100 border policemen.

"Also, taking into account the complexity of this sportive event, was established the supplementation of M.A.I. effectives from Bucharest with 500 students from the Police Academy "Alexandru Ioan Cuza", as well as with 500 employees from the territorial units", it is shown into a MAI notification.

The road police brigade requires to car drivers to avoid the circulation within the adjacent perimeter of National Arena stadium and the spectators to choose the means of transport, renouncing at their personal cars.

With the 2012 Europe League final occasion which will be played at Bucharest and in honor of some Romanian and European football glories, 6 of Bucharest subway stations will have football players’ names, announced Friday Metrorex.

The station Piaţa Victoriei will be renamed Nicolae Dobrin, station Ştefan cel Mare - Ion Pârcălab, Obor - Gică Hagi, Piaţa Iancului - Llorente, Piaţa Muncii – Falcao and Dristor - Rică Răducanu, specifies the cited source.

Llorente and Falcao are the names of the most important attackers from the Spanish teams who will play in the final Atletico Madrid-Athletic Bilbao.

Between May 6 and 10, the entrances from 6 subway stations will be attached the new names and during the subway timetable they will be shown announcements regarding this event into the subway stations.

Two tents of movable emergency receiving will be located at the National Arena Stadium, during the Europe League final, if there will be the case of medical intervention need, said the Undersecretary of State for Health, Raed Arafat.

''The two machines for disasters that turn into movable hospitals will be on site, if something unexpected happens and more people have to be treated '', said Raed Arafat.

Also, about 8 SMURD crews will be present in medical offices built on the National Arena, and 30 teams with two people will be inside the stadium, among the supporters, to give first aid if necessary.

Raed Arafat added that all areas of the capital which are arranged for Europe League final will be provided with emergency crews.

In Bucharest, the Emergency Hospital Floreasca, the Emergency Hospital Elias and the Municipal Emergency Hospital will be ready to receive ambulances carrying patients from around the National Arena Stadium and from areas specially arranged for the Europa League final and St. Pantelimon Hospital will be a reserve one.

According to Raed Arafat, the calls to 112 from this area will be sent in parallel to the control centers of the parts to identify the place where they were sent - George Enescu, Piata Constitutiei, historical center or the stadium - for rapid intervention.

The opening ceremony, "spectacular"

The ceremony before the Europe League final between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao will be provided on Wednesday evening by 350 young people with flags in red, black and blue, including 56 panels with the teams eliminated from the competition from the group stage.

The panels will be divided into two groups of 27 pieces, which will initially start from the two gates and meet at the middle of the field.

Then a rectangle of eight per seven panels will be made and held overhead and after that the panels will be placed on the turf and twisted so that the image will form the Europa League trophy.

On the field will be carried out also two large banners that will write: "Welcome to Bucharest".

Then will enter the field another two banners with emblems of the two finalists, after which will be held to the four corners of the land four triangular flags that write "2012 Final Bucharest".

The Europe League final, between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, is scheduled on Wednesday at 21.45 pm, on the National Arena.

Hotel owners’ earnings "have tripled"

Bucharest hotel owners’ earnings have been tripled on 8 and 9 May, on the occasion of the final Europe League, where they rented rooms at prices charged by 200-300 per cent higher, said on Wednesday, for Agerpres, the general manager of Trianon Hotel, Mihai Zamfir.

"Prices of hotel rooms in Bucharest increased by 200-300 per cent during the Europa League final, and the profits in some cases have doubled and tripled in other ones".

"For a room in a hotel of three, four stars , hotel owners asked more than 1,000 euros a night ", said Mihai Zamfir.

However , he said that some supporters of sports teams came from Spain have chosen to come back after the match, by charters, and hotel managers who have not secured the appointments recorded losses.

"Many of the supporters will go back, by charters , after the match. Many of them do it , because the prices are great. And the ticket costs quite a lot ".

"But some of them have chosen to leave just because the hotel owners overly inflated the prices than they thereby having to lose, "said Mihai Zamfir for Agerpres.


Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea and Denisse-Meda Bucura
MTTLC, Bucharest University