The Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea is to be hosted in Porto, at the Estádio do Dragão. The match was originally scheduled to take place in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but UEFA is switching venues as a result of coronavirus restrictions.
European football’s governing body had been in talks with the UK government over hosting the final at Wembley Stadium, but quarantine rules relating to the 2,000 staff, VIPs, travelling media reporters and sponsors due to be present proved a major stumbling block.
Champions League Final to Take Place in Porto
Fans Are Now Able to Travel Safely
The prospect of English fans being unable to travel to Istanbul for a Champions League final between two Premier League sides was the main reason UEFA came under such pressure to change the venue.
This is because Turkey is currently one of the countries on the UK government’s ‘red list’ when it comes to the risk of contracting coronavirus, resulting in fans being strongly advised against travelling to witness the match live.
Additionally, people who do travel to and back from red list countries are required to self-quarantine for ten days at a government-approved hotel upon their return.
Portugal, meanwhile, is on the UK government’s ‘green list’ at this time, meaning the risk of travelling supporters contracting the virus is, in theory, greatly reduced. Because of this, fans will not have to quarantine themselves at any time, instead only needing to produce a negative Covid test result before and after travel.
Clubs to Receive Equal Ticket Allocation
Following the impending announcement of the new venue, UEFA is also set to grant each club 6,000 tickets to give to their supporters. An overall attendance of 20,000 is expected for the final.
It is felt that moving the match to Portugal represented the easiest solution for UEFA in their quest to find a way to allow fans to be present in any capacity, with Wembley also due to host the Championship Playoff Final on 29 May.
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