Espanyol fans miss final over flights

MADRID (Reuters) - Over 300 Espanyol fans will miss their team's UEFA Cup final against Sevilla in Glasgow on Wednesday after problems with their charter flights left them stranded in Barcelona.

The situation arose when the supporters arrived at Barcelona airport to find they had been booked on a flight that had been cancelled for unknown reasons, while others held reservations for a flight that was not scheduled.

A spokesman for an official Espanyol supporters' club, Pasqual Olmedo, told Spanish media a flights broker had "conned" the travel agency who organised the trips.

Espanyol offered to try and organise and pay for new flights to take them to Glasgow, but only one carrying 194 left on Wednesday afternoon for Edinburgh, leaving behind more than 300 fans with tickets for the final.

"The club were unable to guarantee that the last flight would get them to the final on time," a statement said on the Espanyol Web site (www.rcdespanyol.com)

"The club will do whatever it can to help defend the legal rights of those club members affected by this situation."

The fans organised various protests in the airport during the day, and had blocked the access road to the terminal in the morning.

The final against rival Primera Liga side Sevilla kicks off at 7:45 p.m..