The Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea will be moved to Porto from Istanbul. Unlike Wembley and Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Portugal will be able to host 12,000 fans, as well as staff, sponsors, VIPs, and foreign media in time for the big event on May 29.
Considering that the final will host two English teams, UEFA initially planned to move the game to Wembley due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns in Turkey. Despite extensive talks with the UK government, there was a strong point of contention over waiving quarantine rules for the 2,000 or so staff members from both sides, as well as press outlets and other important guests.
Unlike Turkey, which was previously “red-listed” by the UK government as an “at-risk” country, Portugal is on the “green list” for travel purposes. In practice, that means that fans will be able to travel to Porto without having to spend 10 days in quarantine at a government-approved hotel on their return.
The capacity of Porto’s iconic stadium is 50,000, and UEFA is currently in talks with the Portuguese government to allow 20,000 people to attend the final. Accounting for all the other attendees means that 6,000 tickets would be available for fans of each team in the final.
Portugal hasn’t allowed any fans to attend sports events this season. Nevertheless, last week, the country’s football league announced that the final round of league games to be played next Wednesday would feature audiences for the first time. However, the initial cap will be just 10% of the stadium capacities.
“I think we can all agree that we hope never to experience a year like the one we have just endured,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said. “Fans have had to suffer more than 12 months without the ability to see their teams live, and reaching a Champions League final is the pinnacle of club football. To deprive those supporters of the chance to see the match in person was not an option, and I am delighted that this compromise has been found,” he added.
What do you think, dear readers? Does the famous “Dragon Stadium” fit the bill, and will it be a worthy replacement for the legendary Wembley? Popular football betting sites will be sure to follow the development of the story closely, so we’ll make sure to keep you updated on any new developments, as well.
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