Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City moved to Porto
According to ESPN, the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City has been moved to Porto. The Estadio do Dragao will now host the showpiece event on May 29th as a solution was found by UEFA.
The Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, was initially scheduled to host the final on 29th May. But things went awry since the UK government decided to add Turkey to the red list. This meant that any English fans travelling there would have to quarantine for 10 days when they return. In such a circumstance, shifting the UCL final was considered, with the Wembley Stadium being a possible venue.
UK no longer a possible option, so Portugal steps in
However, the UK government did not grant a quarantine exemption to 2000 odd broadcasters, sponsorship partners and UEFA staff. That led to UEFA looking at alternatives given how president Alexander Ceferin wanted the fans to be able to enjoy the event without any hiccups.
Nonetheless, a solution was found with the Portuguese FA being open to host the final. Portugal are on the green list of the UK which means players returning will not have to quarantine. UEFA confirmed the change in venue through a statement.
“Once again we have turned to our friends in Portugal to help both UEFA and the Champions League and I am, as always, very grateful to the FPF and the Portuguese Government for agreeing to stage the match at such short notice.”
“They have worked tirelessly in very tight time constraints in finding solutions for the many challenges that hosting a game of this magnitude presents. Whenever there has been an obstacle, they have been creative in the solutions presented and the success of staging this year’s final is entirely down to their hard work and persistence.”
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Chelsea and Man City will be vying for the most prestigious trophy in club football on May 29. Everything is expected to go smoothly, with the final venue now decided. 6000 fans from each side are allowed to be present in what should be an enticing game.