Russia reassures English fans over Champions League visas

Russia reassures English fans over Champions League visas

Russia will ensure fans travelling to next month's all-English Champions League final in Moscow get visas but said the process would have been easier if diplomatic ties with Britain were better.

Manchester United, who will face either Chelsea or Liverpool
in the May 21 final, said fans would be able to get
visas more easily than usual if they followed club guidelines.
"Supporters travelling with charter flights approved by the
club will benefit from an unprecedented facilitated visa
procedure that will be detailed in the days to come," United
said in a statement on their Web site (www.manutd.com).

The Russian consulate in London sought to reassure thousands
of fans hoping to travel that they would get their visas
despite the tight timeframe. Postal applicants are usually
advised to allow 10 days for processing a tourist visa.
"When Moscow was given the privilege of hosting this major
sports event, the Russian side pledged to create most favourable
conditions, including travel arrangements, for all the people
attending the final," the consulate said in a statement.
"We intend to fulfil our obligations and ensure that all the
supporters will be able to travel to the final venue."

Moscow and London are locked in a row over the 2006 murder
of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, involving diplomatic
expulsions, angry rhetoric and a tightening of procedures for
issuing visas by both countries.
The Russian consulate said visa processing for fans would
have been easier if this row was not going on and that it would
be making life easier for British fans than London was making it
for Russian fans travelling to Britain for matches.
"We are certain that the situation would have been far less
complicated if the UK government had not chosen, in
July 2007, to suspend negotiations on a bilateral visa
facilitation agreement with Russia and to impose a stricter
approach to Russian nationals applying for UK visas," the
consulate's statement said.

"The arrangements that we will put in place will be
substantially more favourable than those for Russian football
team supporters who are planning to travel to the UK."
It said fans of Zenit St Petersburg, hoping to beat Bayern
Munich tomorrow to reach the UEFA Cup final in Manchester,
had been told their British visa applications would include a
biometric test and possible interview with consulate officials.
European soccer's governing body UEFA confirmed it had been
told visa processing would be quicker than usual if supporters
went through their clubs.

"Fans have to apply directly through their clubs. They have
to get tickets and then with the help of a ticket they can get a
visa a bit quicker than usual," a UEFA spokesman said.