Mourinho rewards camping fan with final ticket

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho made one lucky fan’s day by saving him a night camped out under the rain by giving him a ticket to the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Madrid on May 22.

Hundreds of Inter fans had been setting up camp since Thursday morning to make sure they could snap up one of 5,000 Champions League final tickets due to go on sale in Milan on Saturday.

Fans have set up tents, blankets and mattresses outside the bank charged with selling the tickets.

But Paolo Sacco, a 23-year-old from Milan who was first in the queue, struck gold as Mourinho gave him a ticket worth 225 euros, and saved him a second night out in the open.

“I can’t make everyone happy but with this gesture I want to show them (the fans) how much I appreciate them,” said Mourinho, who was said to be proud of the sacrifices fans were willing to make to watch the final.

Mr Sacco is due to leave Milan by car at the end of next week to get to Madrid.

However, Mourinho insisted that his gift to the fan was not a financial one.

“This is my applause to all the fans. However the lad must demonstrate that he has given the money he’s saved to charity.”

Such gestures are not new by Mourinho who endeared himself to Chelsea fans by throwing his Premier League winners medals into the crowd after the club’s 2005 and 2006 title successes.

The Inter fans are going to great lengths to be present in Madrid, particularly given the pouring rain in Milan.

There are two separate queues, one for season ticket holders (4,000 tickets available) and another for supporters’ club members (1,000 tickets).

Local police set up metallic barriers on the pavement to allow fans to queue in a orderly fashion while an ambulance is on hand in case needed and there are two trucks standing by whose task it is to take away any rubbish.

Fans have also been making lists of those already lined up to prevent others from queue-jumping at a later time.

However, for some it has become a test of endurance and desire.

“I got here at 2am and I’ve made do as best I can with a quilt. Others with more foresight brought tents which is very handy given that it hasn’t stopped raining,” said Francesco Rugolo, a 52-year-old fan quoted by Ansa.

The limited number of tickets available, though, has left some fans outraged.

A 21-year-old called Paolo described it as “scandalous” that only 5,000 tickets are on sale to fans given that Bayern have put double that number on the market.

Tickets, which will go on sale at 0900 GMT on Saturday, are being sold at 155 or 255 euros.