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The crucial matches of the month-long European football championship have been planned for years in London, with Wembley Stadium set to host both the semi-finals and final of the quadrennial event next month.
Just weeks before the Euro 2020 final, organizers and the British government discussed waivers to pandemic travel restrictions that would allow thousands of overseas supporters – and up to 2,500 VIPs – to attend the games in London.
If no agreement or compromise can be reached, UEFA, the European football governing body that runs the tournament, has not ruled out moving the final to another country.
“There is always a contingency plan, but we are confident that the last week will take place in London,” UEFA said in a statement.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Friday that his government was open to amending its rules provided any changes “keep the country safe from Covid”.
“We will talk to UEFA about what they want and see if we can make some reasonable accommodations,” Johnson said. “But it is clear that the priority must be public health.”
UEFA had some exceptions to the travel rules and quarantine for visiting foreign nationals ahead of the tournament, and both UEFA and the British government believed that coronavirus infection rates that led to the restrictions would have been reduced by the time the crucial matches of the tournament were held. At Wembley in early July. Instead, case numbers soared in England, in large part due to a new and dangerous type of virus, leading Johnson to delay the final lifting of social distancing restrictions planned for June 21.
This delay already means that any hopes of playing in front of large crowds at Wembley have been dashed; It has already been announced that the 90,000-seat stadium will instead operate at only half capacity for the semi-finals and final. The stadium – one of 11 in use across Europe – only allows 22,500 fans with three group stage matches being played there.
Johnson held private talks this week about the matter with his UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin, according to a person familiar with the discussions. In particular, officials on both sides have expressed confidence that a compromise can be found to keep the game in Britain, despite news media reports that Budapest, the only fully functional host stadium during the Euros, is being seen as a backup option.
Current talks about more flexible rules are not the first row this year between UEFA and British authorities, despite the exemptions for the football event. In May, the football authority and the British government failed to reach an agreement that would have allowed this season’s Champions League final, a match involving two English teams – Manchester City and Chelsea – to be moved to London from Istanbul. After trying and failing to reach an agreement, UEFA took the final match to Porto, Portugal.
There is a great deal at stake for both sides. For UEFA, London has become a popular and lucrative host for the Grand Finals. For the British government, which has recently entered into discussions about football in an effort to boost its popularity and credibility, preserving the Games and maintaining a valuable relationship with UEFA is vital as Britain attempts to forge a new identity after its sharp exit from UEFA. European Union.
But Britain is also counting on UEFA’s support in a joint bid with Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup. Without UEFA’s support, this effort is doomed to failure. Johnson mentioned the World Cup bid in a phone call with Ceferin, according to a person on the call.
The federation’s statement said that UEFA’s proposed solutions to the predicament facing visitors included fans entering the country “using strict testing and the bubble concept. Guests will be asked to restrict their movements in approved transport and game venues, and to leave Britain within 24 hours.”
“We understand the pressures faced by the government and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory outcome for our discussions on this issue,” a UEFA statement said.
The pandemic era has taught European football’s governing body how to get smart, and how to move high-level games in short order. Over the past two years, UEFA has altered its notable club championship, the UEFA Champions League Final, due to complications linked to the pandemic in the original host city.
But concern has grown among UEFA officials since a fast-spreading type of virus has cast doubt on Britain’s “conquest” by June 21. Johnson confirmed the four-week postponement of plans last week, signaling to UEFA he needed to. Securing new exemptions from its hosts or searching for an alternative location.
In particular, UEFA officials believe they are unlikely to get clearance for the thousands of foreign backers they are looking for, but are optimistic that as many as 2,500 VIPs, including CEOs who are sponsors and broadcasters providing much of the tournament’s vast revenue. 2 billion, will be cleared to come. The waivers have already been offered for about 1,000 guests, but allowing more VIPs – but not access to fans – presents a political risk for both UEFA and Britain.
In his call with UEFA leaders, Johnson reminded officials that London’s diverse population means any team that makes it to the final can count on local audio support.
For UEFA, having crowds in stadiums is as much a symbolic necessity as it is a commercial one. Much of this season’s football was played against the backdrop of empty seats and enclosed arenas, and Euro 2020, as far as the organizers were, should have been considered a sign of a return to antiquity. Cities that did not guarantee that fans would be allowed to attend matches were dropped and replaced. The games they lost were moved to cities with less strict rules.
Games are now played in all 11 stadiums, and attendance ranged from at least 10,000 to nearly 55,662 in Budapest for Hungary’s match against Portugal.
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