The Dutch club have been drawn to play Ferencvaros in the first qualifying round but cannot take any fans to Budapest because of a UEFA ban on spectators at the Hungarian team’s Groupama Arena ground for European competition matches.
Supporter Henk de Haan won a trip for himself and his wife at a quiz night organised by the club, before UEFA conducted the Europa League draw last week, to travel to Go Ahead’s first away match in Europe since they met Celtic 50 years ago. But joy turned to heartbreak for De Haan, whose father went to support the club in Scotland in 1965, as he was told he would have to stay home in Deventer because of the ban on spectators.
However, after some smart thinking by Go Ahead, De Haan will be going to Budapest after all on July 9 having been appointed a member of the club’s board, whose members may attend the match. Go Ahead appointed him as a "temporary management member for international relations” on Tuesday at a special ceremony, giving him a club tie on top of the prize which he has his wife Tonnie may now take up. "The club awarded him the prize and obviously wanted to keep the promise they made to him," they said in a statement on their website (ga-eagles.nl).
Go Ahead were relegated last month but won a berth in the opening Europa League qualifying round after the Netherlands were one of three countries allowed an extra place in the competition for topping UEFA’s Fair Play table. Go Ahead host the first leg in Deventer on July 2. If they win on aggregate they will advance to a meeting with either Balzan of Malta or Zeljeznicar from Bosnia.
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(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ken Ferris and Mike Collett)
