A Barcelona fan who intended to watch his team's Champions League match against Newcastle United ended up at Exeter City's St James Park, 360 miles away from the correct stadium. The Spaniard traveled from London but mistakenly went southwest instead of north.
Key Takeaways
A Barcelona fan mistakenly traveled to Exeter City's St James Park instead of Newcastle United's stadium for the Champions League match. Staff at Exeter welcomed him and gave him a free ticket to their game against Lincoln City.
- Barcelona fan travels from London, ends up at wrong stadium 360 miles away
- Exeter staff give him a free ticket to their third-tier match
- Fan was reportedly devastated but later left before the end of the game
- Story gains widespread attention and skepticism
The man arrived at the turnstiles shortly before kickoff of Exeter City's game against Lincoln City on Tuesday night. It was only when he showed his Champions League ticket to staff that he realized his mistake. Adam Spencer, Exeter City’s supporter experience officer, said the fan was 'pretty gutted and a bit embarrassed.'
Spencer explained that the man's English was not great, but they gathered he had traveled from London. 'My guess is he'd put St James Park in his phone and then just followed the directions from there,' Spencer said. The club gave him a free ticket to Exeter City's match.
The fan initially seemed devastated but later slipped away before the end of the game. News of the mistake has spread widely, with some football fans and commentators expressing skepticism about the story. One well-known opticians and a betting company are trying to track the fan down for publicity.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 3 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.