The hosting problem

This week, Bilbao will try to accommodate 80,000 extra people as Manchester United face Tottenham in the Europa League final. Finding suitable hosts is a growing issue

I got to the hotel in Seville about seven hours before kick-off in the 2003 Uefa Cup final between José Mourinho’s Porto and Martin O’Neill’s Celtic. As I checked in, the receptionist asked if I was going to the game. When I said I was, she advised me to go to the stadium immediately. I dumped my bag in my room and went outside to join the taxi queue, w…