Aston Villa fan sells dad's diamond ring to pay for Europa League final trip

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FT Desk

One Aston Villa superfan has made a huge personal sacrifice to travel to the Europa League final against Freiburg at the Besiktas Stadium next week.

After a semi-final first-leg defeat against Nottingham Forest, Villa eventually cruised through to the final with a 4-0 win in the second leg, with goals from Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia and a double from John McGinn sealing their progression.

Unai Emery's men will play Freiburg, who defeated Portuguese side Braga over two legs.

The match will be Villa's first European final since they won the European Cup in 1982 by beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam which makes it unmissable for the supporters.

In fact, lifelong Aston Villa supporter Scott Barnes has taken to pawning his late father's diamond ring in order to afford the travel costs to Istanbul and his match ticket.

"Everyone loved my dad, the whole family we loved him, he was so generous and used to pay for everything, we never went without," Scott said of his dad, John.

"I still have my dad's wedding ring, and my mum's wedding ring that I will keep forever."

After using his last £20 for petrol, Scott visited a number of pawn shops before eventually selling the ring, plus a watch, for £550.

"When the jeweller gave me the money, I burst into tears in the shop," Barnes said.

In 2009, Scott underwent a gastric bypass which led to complications such as sepsis and septicaemia. Throughout that trauma, his dad was there to support him and, in Scott's opinion, would have wanted him to sell the ring to fund the trip to Istanbul.

"He would say, 'Well done, go for it'," he said.

"I would love it for the players to hear more about these stories and the lengths that some of the fans go to in order to be at the game.

"I know from a personal experience, just how much hearing stories like this would mean to the lads.

"It might give them a bit more motivation when they go out on the pitch knowing what people have done to be there and support them."

Scott was there in person when Villa won the 1982 European Cup and he knows that he has to be there, in person, to see the club potentially winning their first European trophy in over 40 years.

"Watching it anywhere else would not have been the same," he added.

Despite being registered as disabled, he strived to get to every Villa game, home or away.