Barcelona Fan Arrives at Wrong Stadium
A Barcelona supporter inadvertently travelled to Exeter City’s St James Park stadium instead of Newcastle United’s St James’ Park, confusing the two grounds despite their significant differences.
The two stadiums are 366 miles apart. Newcastle’s St James’ Park holds over 50,000 spectators, while Exeter’s St James Park accommodates fewer than 10,000. The atmosphere approaching each venue is notably distinct.
Nonetheless, the Barcelona fan attempted to enter Exeter’s stadium with a ticket intended for Newcastle’s Champions League match, unaware of the error. Exeter staff recounted the incident on Thursday, describing how they kindly explained the mistake and offered the supporter a seat to watch Exeter’s third-tier match against Lincoln City instead.
“He looked absolutely devastated,”said Adam Spencer, Exeter’s supporter experience officer.
“I put him in a nice seat in the main stand. I thought, well, he’s closer to the pitch here than he would be in Newcastle, and we’ve got no VAR [top flight football’s video assistant referee system] so I thought he may have had a better night actually.”
However, when Spencer checked on the fan during the second half, he had already left. A well-known optician and a betting company are attempting to locate him for publicity related to the incident.
“He must have seen it by now,”Spencer said.
“But from my interaction with him on Tuesday, I would say he’s probably too embarrassed at the moment. I’m sure in years to come he’ll look back on his great night at Exeter City. But maybe not this week.”
How the Mistake Happened
Spencer described the moment the club became aware of the situation. While preparing for the match, a member of the club’s ambassador team informed him of a man attempting to enter the turnstiles with a Newcastle ticket.
“They said there’s a guy trying to get in a turnstile with a Newcastle v ticket. I thought it was a wind-up. I got them to bring him round to the fan zone. He was probably in his late-20s, early-30s. Dishevelled look on his face. I could tell he had been through the wringer.”
Spencer noted the fan’s limited English skills. The supporter said only,
“Train, London.”It is believed he had travelled from London and, upon arrival, walked directly to the turnstile with his Newcastle ticket, which he mentioned had cost £100.
“I told him: ‘Look buddy, I’m going to get you a ticket to come in here tonight. You’ve still got to watch some football.’”
Spencer escorted him to the gate and attempted to lighten the mood.
“I said, to be honest, mate, I’d rather watch [an Exeter midfielder] than Lamine Yamal [Barcelona superstar] anyway. But I don’t think he understood a word I said.”
By halftime, the fan had disappeared. Spencer speculated on his whereabouts.
“Whether he was sat in another seat or had popped into the city to watch the Barcelona game on TV or drown his sorrows. I don’t know,”he said.
“My guess would be he’s put St James Park in his phone. The railway station right next to the station here has the same name. And off he trots. That’s his planning done. He’s on a nice, relaxing journey. Until he gets here and walks up to the stadium and thinks, I thought the Gallowgate [Newcastle’s famous end] would be a bit louder than that.”
Reactions and Reflections
Some football fans and commentators expressed skepticism about the story’s plausibility. Spencer acknowledged the surprise but attributed the confusion largely to the supporter’s limited English.
He also refrained from taking a photo of the fan out of respect for his embarrassment.
“I didn’t feel right at the time to ask him.”
Although Exeter City has never played Barcelona, both clubs share a commonality in being fan-owned.
“It’s typical of our club to sort out someone like that,”said Neil Le Milliere, a member of Exeter’s supporters’ trust board, which holds the majority shareholding in the club.
Le Milliere believed the fan visited the supporters-run bar, The Famous Exeter City Real Ale and Cider Emporium, on Tuesday.
“Lots of away supporters ask us why their clubs don’t have something like that.”
Some have speculated that the difference in the apostrophe in the stadium names may have contributed to the confusion: Newcastle’s stadium is St James’ Park, while Exeter’s is St James Park.
Veteran Exeter fan Clive Edmonds-Brown commented:
“The poor chap’s heart must have sunk. It’s a shame he didn’t bring the Barcelona team with him.”
Another supporter, Karen Blundell, remarked:
“I am surprised he didn’t see all the home fans in red and white rather than the black and white of Newcastle United. Bit of a schoolboy error.”
Spencer expressed empathy, sharing his own recent travel mishap.
“By coincidence, I visited Barcelona last weekend, booked for a tour of the club’s Nou Camp – and got lost on the way there. I got on the wrong tube. I messed up but obviously not as much as him. I didn’t end up in northern .”
