A Rangers-daft Ayrshire boxing coach has secured a ticket to the Europa League final from Fashion Sakala’s agent after a chance meeting at a Spanish airport.
Alec Mullen jnr, 30, who is on the trip of a lifetime with five other pals, left on Monday night for an epic journey in the hope he'd get a ticket.
And it was in the Seve Ballesteros airport in Santander waiting on his last connection to Seville when his luck came up.
Alec, from Irvine, was in the airport – named after golf legend Seve – when a man with a Scottish accent approached him asking if he needed a ticket for tonight’s huge match in Seville.
The man then told how he was Rangers ace Sakala’s agent before arranging the golden ticket for Alec at a ‘good price’.
The ticket to the match at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan is a category 1 ticket for the clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ex-boxer Alec, who now trains youngsters at his father Alec Mullen's Irvine Vineburgh Boxing Club gym, says he is buzzing after being the only ticketless member of the group.
Alec, speaking to Ayrshire Live from Seville, said: “It is unbelievable. I knew I was coming over here without a ticket.
“It certainly is the right place at the right time. All my pals have a ticket. I missed out on the Rangers ballot as I didn’t have enough MyGers points.”
Alec left with pals Ross Waddell, Blair McClymont, Craig Sharp, Grant Ferguson and Craig Milne on Monday night.
Their journey started at Glasgow Central with a train to Manchester before a flight to Valencia and then another flight across Spain to Santander.
It was then, while waiting on their fourth connection to Andalusia, that the chance meet took place with the football agent to stars.
Alec added: “We were sitting in Santander airport waiting to board the plane. A Scottish guy sits down next to us and talks away, asks if any of us have tickets and I said no.
“He then says he could get me one. He then proceeds to tell me he’s Fashion Sakala’s agent, that he’s Jack Harper’s brother that used to play with Real Madrid.
“I know I would have a chance of getting one and would need to pay silly cash, but he gave me it for a good price.
“It’s just an e-ticket on the UEFA website. Ryan Harper is his name you can see him on Instagram, he’s definitely a football agent. I’m absolutely buzzing for the match.”
Football agent Ryan represents Fashion Sakala for Los Angeles management company Wasserman.
The firm also have ex-Gers manager Steven Gerrard on their books as well as Zambian international Sakala who this season has chalked up nine goals for Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s men.
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