Was horrible to play the Champions League final in front of empty stands, asserts Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera was roped in by PSG last year, in July
|Ander Herrera exclaimed that the Champions League final, which was played last Sunday behind closed doors, felt 'horrible' without the presence of fans. The French side, which featured in its first-ever final, was defeated by Bayern Munich by virtue of a solitary goal from Kingsley Coman.
Amidst the pandemic situation, UEFA’s call to host the remaining matches of the Champions League and the Europa League in centralized venues were pretty justified. Some of the players already had a taste of playing in front of empty stands, having played domestic matches with restrictions imposed. Ligue 1 was terminated midway through the season, with PSG being awarded the title, so their players never played a match behind closed doors. It was in the Champions League that their midfielder Ander Herrera really felt the inertness of playing in front of empty stands.
"It's shit, horrible, horrible, for me fans are the key in this sport, the most important thing in football. I hope all the people making statements realise that football is for fans and without them we are nothing. Of course, this business had to continue because it's a big business,” said Ander Herrera, to Nordic Network Viaplay after the Champions League final loss.
“Even for people who were suffering it's been a good escape for them to watch games, to watch football. But let's try to be responsible everyone, let's try to finish this situation the best way possible first of all for the safety of everyone but second because we love football with fans,” added the footballer.
It was a historic season for PSG nonetheless, with the team qualifying for their first-ever Champions League final. Even though they put up some remarkable performances en-route to the title-clash, German heavyweights Bayern Munich had the last laugh, having claimed the silverware by virtue of a 59th minute Kingsley Coman strike in Lisbon, last Sunday.
