Brighton & Hove Albion fan to travel from Saudi Arabia for match

A life-long Brighton & Hove Albion fan is travelling from Saudi Arabia to Athens to watch his beloved football club in what could be their final European away match of the season.

The Seagulls face AEK Athens in the Europa League on Thursday night.

DJ Fatboy Slim is set to perform in the Greek capital after the game.

Samuel Charles Keeble says he and his son try to make each away trip "a real adventure" by attending other matches and events on their journey.

He said he "could not miss the opportunity" to see Albion play in Europe, despite the 5,250 mile (8,450 km) round trip from the Middle East.

"I was born a Sussex lad, watched them since they were in League Two at the Withdean stadium, if you can call it a stadium, and I don't want to miss the opportunity of watching them in Europe," he added.

"I miss watching the Albion live, but I make sure I watch every game out here. I haven't missed one yet - even if it does mean going to sleep in the early hours of the morning."

Roberto de Zerbi's side are second in the Europa League Group B on seven points and could clinch their place in the next phase of the tournament if they win at Athens in their penultimate group stage fixture.

A loss, however, would make it more difficult for Brighton to progress.

Fellow supporter Jon Lang said he and his son Ryan had travelled via Barcelona to watch the Spanish side face Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, before making their way to Athens on Wednesday.

"As a Brighton supporter for 40 years, and converting my son 13 years ago, we wanted to make some memories in case this was our only opportunity for a while," he said.

"For the Marseille game, we travelled to Nice to explore, then went for an adventure to Monaco, retraced the Formula One circuit, and then got the train into Marseille."

Hove DJ Fatboy Slim, whose real name is Norman Cook, says he expects a mix of Albion supporters and locals at his gig at an Athens nightclub after the match.

"In DJing terms, I'm hoping for a draw because that'll be the atmosphere at the gig afterwards. But as an Albion fan, I want to win," he told BBC Radio Sussex.

"We were looking good, but now we're decimated by injuries so we're not firing on all cylinders.

"But win or lose, stand or fall, it's a fabulous time for the Albion."

Kevin Wilder, a taxi driver from Hastings, will be travelling to the match on Wednesday.

He said: I'm flying to Athens later and couldn't sleep last night so decided to do a couple of hours work this morning before heading off."

The Seagulls received the freedom of the city on Tuesday after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season and qualifying for Europe for the first time, adding more than £600m to the local economy in the process.

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