Football
ESPN staff 8y

Ireland upset by 'scandalous' ticket allocation for France clash

Roy Keane and Shane Long are disappointed about the number of tickets Republic of Ireland have been allocated for their Euro 2016 round of 16 game against France in Lyon on Sunday night.

The Stade Pierre-Mauroy has a capacity of 59,000 but Ireland will only account for 4,500 of them due to hosts France knowing about the game several days earlier than their opponents.

Assistant manager Keane believes the game will now feel more like an away game for Ireland.

He told a news conference: "It does seem unfair for the supporters who want to get behind their team. There is genuine disappointment among our group that there's not more Irish fans getting to the game to get behind us.

"We have 4,500 and the capacity is 59,000 -- it does seem a bit lopsided. You'd expect the home nation to have gotten an extra few, but that's a lot more.

"It's unfair, particularly the way they've travelled and what they've brought to the tournament. I was thinking we'd have maybe 15,000 or 20,000 in the stadium. It will probably feel more like an away game now. I was pretty sure it would be a 60/40 split."

Southampton striker Long echoed that view, saying: "It's scandalous really with the good Irish support we have. It's going to be like a home game for France, that's not the way it should be.

"All the lads' families are looking for tickets. To be fair to the FAI, they are working really hard behind the scenes to try and get things sorted, but because France knew three days in advance they obviously got as many as they could and there's not many left."

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