A dad from Leighton Buzzard who chartered a flight for Crystal Palace fans travelling to Germany to watch the team play in the Conference League final has described the experience as surreal after they won.
Chris, his dad and his sons, in Leipzig. Picture: Chris O’Donnellplaceholder image
Chris, his dad and his sons, in Leipzig. Picture: Chris O’Donnell
The former football referee had promised Lewis, 12 and Oscar, eight, he would take them to an away game, and he turned to AI to figure out how to charter a flight.
He said: “I couldn’t see a direct or affordable route that wouldn’t either break the bank or have us exhausted before a ball was kicked.”
The dad-of-three reached out to fellow fans and managed to get a total of 189 passengers on the plane on Wednesday (May 27).
While they were in the air, he surprised his sons over the PA system with news that they were going to be inside the stadium to watch the game, not in the fan zone as Chris had previously told them.
He said: “I just got the biggest hug with the biggest smile we’ve ever seen.”
Fellow passengers had all chipped in to buy the boys backpacks filled with Crystal Palace gifts to make the moment even more special.
Chris said: “Everybody on the plane had done that, which I thought was unbelievable.”
Despite the inbound flight landing in Dresden, the supporters made it to Leipzig on a coach to watch the final.
Crystal Palace won the game, thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Chris, who was also joined by his dad, said: “It was just fun all round, a fantastic experience, and something they’re never gonna forget.
“Strangers are hugging strangers. It was just surreal."
Fans thanked Chris for organising the trip, saying it wouldn’t have been possible to go without his help.
He added: “I’m just so happy, just so happy.
"It’s difficult to comprehend really, to sit and go, actually, I’ve just got 189 people to the biggest game in the club’s history.”
Continue Reading