Brighton & Hove Albion fans miss kick-off amid travel chaos in Marseille

Delayed flights and shuttle buses meant some Brighton & Hove Albion supporters missed kick-off at the club's first ever European away match.

The Seagulls drew 2-2 with Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.

Some fans were also kept inside the stadium for several hours after the match.

PC Darren Balkham, the police liaison to the club, said on X that he knew there were issues with buses to and from the stadium.

He had tried to communicate with the "powers that be" but there were "limitations", he said.

"Feel I need to apologise as feel I have let you down but hopefully the result on the pitch has lightened this. I will feedback to UEFA," PC Balkham added.

Some fans missed a large part of the first half after a flight from Heathrow to Marseille was delayed for three hours.

George Batchelor said he missed the first 15 minutes after a delay with the buses from Place de la Joliette.

"We got to the pick-up location an hour and 45 minutes before kick-off and queued for coaches, which were very infrequent," he said.

"Our bus was late getting to the stadium, even with a police escort.

"It was annoying to miss the start, but the end was all that mattered."

The club has been approached for comment.

Meanwhile, a flight due to leave Heathrow at 11:10 BST did not take off until 14:22, landing in France less than two hours before kick-off.

Fortunately, Albion chairman Tony Bloom was also onboard the flight and announced to the plane that the club had organised coaches to transport the fans to the stadium.

Despite the efforts, some fans missed part of the match.

Alex Barron, from Orpington, travelled for eight hours to Marseille via Amsterdam.

"About 20 years ago, we were playing Darlington for crying out loud. Now we're playing Marseille," he said.

"It's credit to Brighton, it's credit to the staff, it's credit to everybody related to the football club."

Albion issued guidance to supporters ahead of the fixture, as fans were expected to face a hostile atmosphere in France.

David Rowden, from London, said he felt "privileged to be here".

"The atmosphere was much better than England. Wish we could bring the atmosphere back to the UK," he said.

Albion fan Kay Anderson said the entire experience had been an "emotional" one.

"I've waited 55 years for this moment," she said.

"We've been through the disappointment of nearly dropping out the football league, Hereford and the goal that got us back in it."

The Seagulls finished sixth last season, securing European football for the first time in their 122-year history.

They have also been drawn with Ajax Amsterdam and AEK Athens in Group B of the 2023-24 Europa League.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].