According to Portuguese law, children under three years old were not allowed to enter the José Alvalade stadium for Saturday's Champions League final between Barcelona and Arsenal (0–1). People under 16 years old needed to be accompanied by an adult.
The rules affected, among others, Arsenal striker Lina Hurtig, whose family could not attend the match.
We hadn't booked, but they would have gotten there. It's like the biggest thing I've been through, says Lina Hurtig.
The 29-year-old national team player received the message about the age restrictions a few days before the final.
I got a shock when I heard it. Uefa (European Football Association) hasn't communicated anything, she says.
Her wife and two children, one of whom is under one year old, therefore stayed at home. From there, they saw Hurtig come on when Arsenal took the club's first Champions League title in 18 years, after a decisive goal from Stina Blackstenius.
The match was Hurtig's last for the London team, which she will leave this summer. She had wanted to play it in front of her family.
It would have meant a lot. It's something I'll never get to experience again. It would have been fun to have had them there.
