Up to a million Bayern fans seek final tickets

Bayern Munich fans have inundated the club with more than a million requests for tickets to the Champions League final against Chelsea.

Bayern, however, will get only 17,500 tickets from Uefa for the 19 May final which will be held at its 66,000 capacity Allianz Arena.

Bayern said yesterday that approximately one in 12 requests will be honoured. The German giants have around 180,000 club members and more than 3,000 registered fan clubs.

Bayern will become the first team to play for the Champions League trophy in their own stadium after beating Real Madrid on penalties in Wednesday’s dramatic semi-final.

As the team returned to Munich shortly after noon yesterday, airport employees laid out a red carpet and held up giant letters spelling out “Finale” (final in German). The players were given lebkuchen hearts – a kind of gingerbread – with the inscription “final at home”. German news TV crews broadcast the team’s return live from the airport.