JOSÉ CASTRO: "IT IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE TO BAN OUR FANS FROM TRAVELLING TO LENS"

Our president, José Castro, spoke to the media upon arrival in Lille airport. The main talking point was of course the French Government's decision to ban our fans from travelling to Lens following last week's incident in Nantes in which a fan was killed. "It is an absolute disgrace that 300 of our fans will not be allowed to travel to the match. They've already bought their tickets and paid for their flight just for the French Government to decide this late last night. We are doing all that we can to make sure that the fans will be allowed to be there for the match. As a club we will be in contact with the fans to try to help them in any way possible. Quite simply it just does not make sense to ban 300 fans from going to help their team. If a decision like this is going to be made, prior notice must be given. Dropping this bombshell at late notice is unacceptable."

He reiterated that the club will be in contact with the relevant authorities and with UEFA. "It is unfair to ban fans from travelling and we will fight until the death to try and reverse the decision, but we cannot guarantee anything. We are trying to find a solution, but at the moment we don't have one. Hopefully they will see sense. We have also spoken with UEFA and waiting for updates. The next few hours are vital to resolve this ridiculous situation. Until yesterday no one had said anything and we only found out through the meeting with the French minister. There was no official word of warning and it is an absolute farce and a breach of the rights of Spanish and European citizens."