Man City vs Chelsea: UEFA Champions League final moved to Porto from Istanbul
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The much-anticipated Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea has been shifted from Istanbul, Turkey, to Porto in Portugal, UEFA announced on Thursday.
The much-anticipated Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea has been shifted from Istanbul, Turkey, to Porto in Portugal, UEFA announced on Thursday.
The most awaited UCL final on May 29 has been shifted to allow English spectators to attend the match with the travel between the UK and Turkey suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UEFA has further announced that up to 6,000 spectators each from Chelsea and Man City will be allowed to attend the Champions League final.
"We accept that the decision of the British Government to place Turkey on the red list for travel was taken in good faith and in the best interests of protecting its citizens from the spread of the virus but it also presented us with a major challenge in staging a final featuring two English teams," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.
"After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don't have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season," he added.
There were reports that the UCL final would be played at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium but the move fell out due to certain allowances including quarantine-free visits by media and other authorities.
"The difficulties of moving the final are great and the FA and the authorities made every effort to try to stage the match in England and I would like to thank them for their work in trying to make it happen," Ceferin said.
UEFA added that COVID-19 protocols in the UK made it difficult for the match to be held in the English capital.
"UEFA discussed moving the match to England but, despite exhaustive efforts on the part of the Football Association and the authorities, it was not possible to achieve the necessary exemptions from UK quarantine arrangements," it said.