SPORTbible

The stadium which will host the Europa League final between Spurs and Manchester United carries a tradition which has lasted 98 years.

Spurs and United will square off in the all-English final on Wednesday 21 May at the San Mames Stadium, home of semi-finalists Athletic Club.

United have already played at the ground this season, dispatching Athletic 3-0 in the first leg before trouncing them 4-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

The 53,000 capacity arena, the seventh-largest in Spain, was built in 2013 and is a modern upgrade of the old San Mames.

San Mames, which hosted the Women's Champions League final last year, has a host of impressive features such as illuminated panels outside the stadium and a large external video screen.

But the ground also retains a tradition which started in 1926 in honour of Athletic legend Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, better known as 'Pichichi' because of his frail frame.

Athletic Club's 98-year tradition at San Mames

Pichichi played for Athletic, his only club, in the 1910s and 1920s and scored 83 goals in 89 goals, as well as winning four Copa del Reys.

He also represented Spain at the Olympics and had a brief stint as a referee before dying at just 29 after reportedly suffering from typhus.

Pichichi is an Athletic legend and four years after his passing, the club unveiled a statue at San Mames and it became a tradition that whenever a team would play at the stadium for the first time, the captain would leave a bouquet of flowers.

Hungarian side MTK Budapest were the very first to do so prior to a friendly in 1927, and the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Schalke have followed suit.

When the Basque outfit moved to the new San Mames, they ensured there was a new spot to pay homage to Pichichi at the players' tunnel, with captains encouraged to show respect.

United played at the old San Mames back in 1957 and in 2012, with Sir Alex Ferguson taking an interest in the tradition at a stadium which he played at with Dunfermline and Rangers in his playing career.

Spurs' only meeting with Athletic was a friendly at White Hart Lane in 2011 and so the final could open the opportunity for them to participate in the gesture.

Pichichi's legacy has also been commemorated in the form of the La Liga top goalscorer award, which is named after him and has past winners like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

SPORTbible has reached out to Tottenham Hotspur for comment.

UEFA has already set a little-known rule that the winner of this year’s Europa League must follow.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur booked their places in the 2024/25 Europa League final with convincing victories against Athletic Club and Bodo/Glimt on Thursday to set up a mouth-watering all-Premier League affair in Bilbao, Spain on May 21.

Ahead of the final, concerns around travel and ticketing have already been raised, with some calling for the showpiece to be moved to a neutral venue in England, although this seems highly unlikely if previous examples are anything to go by.

Of course, winning the competition is a massive achievement in itself but with the added incentive of Champions League qualification, both Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim will be keen to secure their first trophy at their respective clubs.

And the side that does lift the 15kg trophy – the heaviest of all UEFA silverware – later this month, will be under strict rules.

According to UEFA’s website, “the original trophy, which is used for the official presentation ceremony at the final and at other official events approved by UEFA, remains in UEFA’s keeping and ownership at all times. A full-size replica trophy, the UEFA Europa League winners' trophy, is awarded to the winning club”.

And that’s not all, as the regulations go on to explain how “replica trophies awarded to winners of the competition (past and current) must remain within the relevant club’s control at all times and may not leave the club’s country without UEFA’s prior written consent (in this respect, clubs must comply with any request from the UEFA administration to confirm the location of the club’s replica trophies).

“Clubs must not permit a replica trophy to be used in any context where a third party (including sponsors and other commercial partners) is granted visibility or in any other way that could lead to an association between any third party and the trophy and/or the competition”.

The winning team will be presented with 50 gold medals while the runners-up will receive 50 silver medals for their efforts.

Winners will also receive a huge financial boost, with BBC Sport reporting that United could get around £100m in additional revenue.

However, Red Devils head coach Amorim, 40, insisted it "money is not the most important thing" after United's 4-1 (7-1 on aggregate) victory on Thursday (May 8).

"The money is not the most important thing," Amorim said. "To win a title as a coach brings a feeling, a feeling we can do good things, that we can give something to our fans.

"I agree it is not just playing Champions League next season. It is that feeling we can change things."

Manchester United will be forced into a kit change for their Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur due to a 64-year-old tradition.

United and Spurs will contest the third all-English final of the Europa League's history, dating back to when it was known as the UEFA Cup.

The two sides defeated Athletic Bilbao and Bodo/Glimt respectively in the semi-finals, with the final due to take place in Bilbao on May 21.

The reward for the winner is a spot in next season's Champions League, with the loser missing out on Europe entirely due to their current league positions of 15th (United) and 16th (Spurs).

In the Premier League, both sides are allowed to wear their home kits when playing against each other as, despite United wearing white shorts and Spurs wearing white shirts, it isn't enough to constitute a kit clash.

In Europe, though, it is a different story.

Spurs have, where permitted, worn an all-white kit for their European matches - a tradition that dates back 64 years.

Back in the 1960/61 season, Spurs manager Bill Nicholson decided to change the club's kit, partially because he considered it to hold a potential performance advantage.

The club's official website revealed that, although it has been widely claimed that the main reason was to emulate Real Madrid's all-white kit, there was a more practical explanation.

With floodlights not as bright as they are today, Spurs' white shirt and navy shorts combination made it difficult for the players to see each other during evening matches.

Nicholson decided to sanction the all-white kit change to improve visibility.

Spurs would use white shorts for the first time in an away match against Polish side Gornik in 1961 - their first-ever European fixture after completing a First Division and FA Cup double in the previous campaign.

Winger Cliff Jones would later state: "We did love playing in it [the all-white kit]. European nights we felt fresher, the air was different."

Spurs are the administrative home side for the Europa League final, meaning they will get first choice over whether to wear their home kit.

Ange Postecoglou, therefore, will hope that he and his side can emulate that feeling in Bilbao and deliver the club's first trophy since 2008.

Manchester United have been officially stripped of an advantage over Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the Europa League final between the two sides.

United defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday to win their semi-final by a 7-1 aggregate scoreline.

Spurs, meanwhile, completed a 5-1 aggregate win over Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt with a 2-0 away victory.

The two teams will face off in an all-English Europa League final for only the third time in the competition's history, and the first since 2018.

It carries even more significant importance than in other years, with both teams knowing that their only way of playing in Europe at all next season is to win the Europa League and therefore qualify for the Champions League.

Ahead of the final, the Premier League have been forced into a key change to the schedule which had previously benefitted Manchester United.

United take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Friday, May 16, with Spurs originally set to travel to take on Aston Villa on Sunday, May 18.

That would have given Ange Postecoglou's side two days fewer rest than their Europa League final opponents, with that clash due to take place in Bilbao on Wednesday, May 21.

The Premier League have already confirmed that Spurs' game has been moved back to the Friday, with a 7:30pm kick-off, with that date now made official due to their progression to the Europa League final.

United's clash at Chelsea, meanwhile, has been moved to a later kick-off time of 8:15pm on the same date.

A statement reads: "The Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur has been given a new date of Friday, May 16, kicking off at 19:30 BST.

"This following a request from Spurs in view of their potential participation in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday, May 21.

"Additionally, the match between Chelsea and Manchester United, also taking place on Friday, May 16, will now kick off at 20:15 BST."

According to the Daily Mail, Villa chiefs were left 'furious' that their match was moved forwards, as they remain in contention for Champions League qualification for next season.

The Champions League quarter-finalists will now have six days between the Spurs clash and their upcoming fixture against Bournemouth on May 10, instead of eight days.

Villa director Damian Vidagany said: "Honestly, not happy.

"Hopefully in the future all of them would [remember] the clear prejudice in this case to Villa fans and will be consistent and equally supportive, if we need changes to help us in Europe (if hopefully we are there).

"We didn't feel this support last season or this one. European football is not only demanding for English clubs just on the verge of the finals."

UEFA has already provided its stance after calls for the Europa League final venue to be changed.

On Thursday (May 8), both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Europa League final, which is set to take place at Sam Mames, in Bilbao, Spain on May 21.

And given the fact that both teams are from England, some have called for the showpiece to be moved to a neutral venue in the UK, which would benefit match-going supporters both financially and logistically.

San Mames, the home stadium of United’s semi-final opponents, Athletic Club, will host the final and has a capacity of 53,289.

UEFA has confirmed that each club will receive 15,000 tickets to distribute to supporters, with an additional 11,000 tickets set to be released in a general sale, with all remaining tickets offered to hospitality and sponsors.

Will Europa League final be moved?

Well, the likely answer to this question is no, if previous examples are anything to go by.

In 2019, Chelsea and Arsenal met in the Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan, a journey which takes the best part of six hours via plane, and that’s without considering other costs and problems.

Of course, due to the increased demand for transport, airlines hiked up prices to the dismay of many fans who felt they were being priced out of supporting their teams.

Arsenal penned a letter to UEFA explaining how they were “bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations, UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000".

They also mentioned the logistical issues fans would face due to the “limited transport provision”.

UEFA responded with a statement which explained how “UEFA has committed to appoint hosts only via a fair and transparent bidding process”, something usually held a couple of years in advance of the event .

The organisation went on to explain how an all-English final was “not very predictable” at the “time of appointment” and admitted that there was “little doubt that this has added significant difficulties to the event logistics” before going on to apologise.

Of course, it must be considered that this was six years ago, and the circumstances are different with Bilbao being significantly closer to England than Baku.

Has UEFA changed a final's venue before?

Yes, but due to unforeseen circumstances. The 2022 Champions League final, which ended Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool, was originally scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia.

However, the event was relocated and took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

What has UEFA said about the Europa League final venue being changed?

European football's governing body haven't official commented on the all-English final between United and Spurs but its website stipulates that "If the UEFA administration receives any such notification, or has any reason itself to believe that a match may not be able to be played as scheduled, it decides if any change will be made to the stadium, venue, date and/or kick-off time. Such a decision by the UEFA administration is final".

But the issues associated with the all-Premier League final are unlikely to fall within the criteria as the venue is more than fit to host the game as the problems relate to demand for tickets and transport.

UEFA have made their decision about moving the Europa League final to England clear with both Manchester United and Spurs set to feature.

On Thursday night, Spurs reached their first Europa League final in over 40 years after coming away with a 5-1 win across two legs over Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Meanwhile, rivals United pulled off a dominant 7-1 aggregate win over Athletic Club, setting up an all-English Europa League final at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao.

With the two Premier League sides reaching the final, some fans called on UEFA to move the final to England, and now they've made their decision.

Both United and Spurs have endured dismal seasons this campaign, with each side sitting 15th and 16th in the Premier League respectively, meaning the Europa League final offers them one last chance to redeem their season.

However, despite the huge importance of the game to the two English clubs, the Europa League final will not be moved from Bilbao after the San Mames stadium was awarded the rights to host the final way back in 2021.

The stadium, which serves as the home for Athletic Club, has a capacity of 53,289, which is expected tp be far below the demand for tickets from both Manchester United and Spurs supporters.

Each club will be awarded 15,000 tickets to distribute to supporters, with an additional 11,000 tickets set to be released in a general sale, with all remaining tickets offered to hospitality and sponsors.

If UEFA decided to move the final to England then they could have made use of the 90,000 capacity of Wembley Stadium, which will instead host Non-League Finals Day on May 21.

However, this isn't the first time that UEFA has made this decision, every all-English European finals in recent years has been hosted abroad, with the stadium decided long before the finalists became clear.

Ange Postecoglu clearly wasn't happy with one journalist after Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Europa League final.

With a 5-1 win across two legs over Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, Spurs reached their first Europa League final in over 40 years.

The London club will meet Manchester United in the final in Bilbao after Ruben Amorim's side comfortably beat Athletic Club 7-1 on aggregate to set up an all-English Europa League final.

Despite this, Spurs boss Postecoglu didn't appear to be as excited as you might expect, as he later hit out at a journalist for asking a specific question comparing his season to United's.

At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Postecoglu doubled down on his previous promise that he would deliver Spurs fans a trophy in his second season in charge of the club, piling the pressure on himself.

Since then, the the Lilywhites have fallen to 16th in the Premier League following disappointing domestic cup runs, meaning the Europa League final is Postecoglu's last chance to fulfil his promise.

And it appears that this fact isn't lost on the Australian manager, as when he was asked for his opinion on United manager Amorim's comments that Europa League glory would not save his side’s season, Postecoglu wasn't happy.

Hitting back at the question, he said: "Why do I care what United think? Why is that relevant to me? Ask the Man Utd manager why he said that. Me, I’ve said all along that this is important.

"To be fair, you know better than me, you’ve probably followed more closely than I have. What do you think a trophy would do for this club? The question answers itself.

"But what’s happening right now is that people are fearing that. That it actually might happen.

"Because if it happens, [people will say] ‘let’s see how we can tear it down somehow, diminish it somehow by saying it’s been a poor season and that we don’t deserve this or don’t deserve that or by somehow comparing us to Man Utd.’"

Like Spurs, United have had a dreadful season in all other competitions this season, sitting 15th in the Premier League table.

An all-English Europa League final is an enticing prospect for most Premier League neutrals but the knock-on effect could put one group of fans into an unpleasant position.

Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. The Gunners will end the season without silverware and now need to qualify for next season's Champions League through the Premier League.

The top five teams in the table will all qualify for the Champions League, meaning Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have a handy safety net but also that Chelsea have one too.

Chelsea are currently in the all-important fifth place, two points ahead of Nottingham Forest with three fixtures left to play.

Arsenal are second, six points and several teams above sixth. Qualification shouldn't be a problem for the Gunners but if Chelsea get over the line too, the Europa League final comes into play.

The red half of North London has love for neither Tottenham Hotspur nor Manchester United and the final in Bilbao will make for uncomfortable watching any which way for those of an Arsenal persuasion.

But if they think they don't have a dog in the fight, they might have to think again at the end of the Premier League season.

Spurs and Man Utd will go head to head in the Basque Country looking to salvage an otherwise disappointing season for both teams.

Ange Postecoglou's second season in charge at Tottenham ending with a European trophy would make a point in spite of a dismal showing in the Premier League.

For United, silverware in Ruben Amorim's first partial season would indicate at least the potential to point the listing giant in the right direction.

That one of these chaotic clubs will secure a Champions League place for next season is confusing enough in its own right but the idea of Arsenal fans cheering on their bitter local rivals, even against the loathed Red Devils, is difficult to compute.

Luckily, the calculation that justifies it has already been done.

What happens to Arsenal if Man Utd win the Europa League?

If Chelsea drop out of the Champions League places and end the season outside the top five, Arsenal fans can hope in vain and good conscience that both teams lose the Europa League final.

But if Manchester City hold their ground in third and the Blues take a Champions League spot, they'll be taking that spot in Pot 1 for the 2025-26 league phase by virtue of their UEFA coefficient points.

With six of the nine current Pot 1 clubs already qualified, City and Chelsea joining them would leave either Man Utd or Arsenal to take the final slot.

United winning the Europa League puts them in Pot 1 and leaves Arsenal in Pot 2. If Spurs beat Amorim's men in the final, Arsenal take their place.

In theory, Pot 1 teams will have the lower difficulty fixtures in the mammoth league phase.

Come on you Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur found themselves on the wrong end of the oldest trick in the book as opposition supporters took inspiration from Liverpool's famous Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona in 2019.

Trent Alexander-Arnold masterminded the quickly-taken corner kick that made the tie famous, setting up the Divock Origi goal that made it 4-0 on the night as Liverpool miraculously overturned a 3-0 deficit from the first leg.

But there was another big assist and it came before the second leg even began. Liverpool fans set off fireworks outside the hotel where the Barcelona squad were staying, disturbing the players' sleep with the righteous rockets and firecrackers of football destiny.

The Reds set out the blueprint for European comebacks and Bodo/Glimt's fans must have had the same outcome in mind before their team attempt a historic comeback of their own.

Bodo/Glimt take on Spurs in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday facing a 3-1 disadvantage from the first leg in North London last week.

Spurs must already contend with Glimt's artificial pitch, chilly temperatures and nearly 19 hours a day of sunlight.

And their blackout curtains will have been powerless to prevent the noise of a waterside pyrotechnics display outside their hotel rooms at 2.37am with the sun already beginning to rise.

The show was 'disgraceful' according to one social media user but Glimt's home fans in the Arctic Circle are just the latest to join football's fine tradition of nocturnal noise-making about which nothing can be done.

Liverpool fans were at it again two years ago, sportingly helping Real Madrid to stay alert on the eve of a Champions League meeting at Anfield.

Neighbours Everton dished out the same treatment to Southampton and Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea, while Arsenal supporters tried in vain to thwart Manchester City before a Premier League fixture at Tottenham.

Spurs themselves were once kept awake by fans of Leeds United and the night before a Champions League match against Marseille in 2022.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was still wide awake in the fifth minute of extra time to score the goal that won that game and sent Spurs through as group winners.

Ange Postecoglou's side will hope to be rather more comfortable at the conclusion of their tie against Bodo/Glimt.

Their two-goal lead came courtesy of goals from Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and a now-injured James Maddison before they allowed their opponents a late lifeline when Ulrik Saltnes scored with seven minutes left at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Legendary manager Arsene Wenger has explained why Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur should not be allowed to play in the Champions League next season, even if one of them wins the Europa League.

United and Spurs are one step away from reaching the Europa League final as they hold healthy leads over Athletic Club and Bodo/Glimt respectively.

Both teams have endured a dismal season in the Premier League but could still end it on a high by securing Champions League football through winning the Europa League.

There could be a real possibility that six Premier Legaue teams will be in next season's Champions League.

However, former Arsenal boss Wenger has called on UEFA to review their rules about rewarding the Europa League winners with a place in the Champions League, which was first introduced in 2014.

He said on beIN Sports: "They should qualify automatically for the Europa League but not necessarily for the Champions League.

"Especially when you're in the Premier League where already five teams qualify. I think it's something [for UEFA] to think about and to review."

Wenger continued: "On the other hand people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize [Champions League]."

As reported by the Daily Mail, no team below 12th place in their domestic league has reached the final or won the competition.

Back in 2023, Sevilla were 12th in the La Liga table when they won the trophy.

Currently, United are 15th in the Premier League table after collecting just 39 points from 35 matches. Meanwhile, Spurs are in 16th on 38 points.

Speaking ahead of the second leg against Athletic Club, Ruben Amorim admitted that his team's only focus is on the Europa League.

He said: "We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about Thursday now.

"This is the most important game for us."