UEFA has ‘contingency plans’ to move EURO 2020 finals out of the UK

The semis and final itself could be moved from Wembley over issues with Covid travel restrictions
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The semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 might be moved from Wembley to somewhere outside the UK, under contingency plans drawn up by UEFA

UEFA sources have refused to rule out changing the venue for the last games of the tournament, over concerns that overseas fans and VIPs won’t be exempted from quarantine rules.

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UEFA has ‘contingency plans’ to move EURO 2020 finals out of the UK  (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)UEFA has ‘contingency plans’ to move EURO 2020 finals out of the UK  (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
UEFA has ‘contingency plans’ to move EURO 2020 finals out of the UK (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

At a glance: 5 key points

– UEFA could move the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 away from Wembley due to concerns about Covid restrictions on travelling fans and VIPs

– In a statement released last night, European football’s governing body said it was confident the final week would go ahead in London, but added that “there is always a contingent plan”.

– Current rules mean that people travelling from amber list countries would need to provide a negative test before travel and then isolate for between five and 10 days upon entering the UK.

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– The Puskas Arena in Budapest is thought to be the most likely alternative, if the matches are moved

– The UK government confirmed earlier this week that at least 40,000 fans will be able to attend Wembley for the planned games, despite the decision to push back the lifting of other restrictions.

What’s been said?

UEFA’s statement read: “There is always a contingency plan but we are confident that the final week will be held in London.

“At the moment, we are in discussions with the local authorities to try to allow fans of the participating teams to attend the matches, using a strict testing and bubble concept that would mean their stay in the UK would be less than 24 hours and their movements would be restricted to approved transport and venues only,” the statement read.

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“We understand the pressures that the (British) Government face and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion of our discussions on the matter.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We’ll do what we have to do to keep the country safe from Covid – that’s obviously going to be our priority, and we’ll be talking to UEFA about what they want and see if we can make some sensible accommodations.

“But the priority obviously has to be public health.”

Clive Efford, a Labour MP who sits on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, told the PA news agency: “If they enter the country they cannot be allowed to move freely without precautions.

“They must be escorted to and from the games and anywhere else they may go. I have no objection to special arrangements being made for them to go out to dine and to go sightseeing with strict precautions in place, but they should not be allowed to roam around without restriction.”

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