Reports | UEFA considering London and Lisbon as alternatives for Champions league final
Chelsea and Manchester City are in the Champions League final
|According to ESPN, the venue for the Champions League final could be moved to either London or Lisbon owing to the worsening Covid-19 situation in Istanbul. Manchester City and Chelsea face each other on May 29th with the possibility of the curtain closer being held in England at Wembley Stadium.
Rigid Covid 19 and quarantine protocols have seen a last minute venue change for the coveted finals although the UK has been identified as the first alternative, severe rules and regulations are proving to be a major restriction. It's a major necessity for all arrivals from Turkey into the UK to quarantine at an airport hotel for 10 days and with there no exemptions, it does mean that the rule applies to all players and coaching staff from the two finalists.
This makes it extremely difficult as well as owing to the fact that as many as 2,000 UEFA staff and sponsors, and international broadcast rights holders, need to be at the game. It has seen ESPN report that UEFA are considering moving the final with London and Lisbon as their two options although the report has indicated that London, and thus Wembley Stadium, is their ideal destination. But UEFA remain in talks with the UK government and English Football Association in hopes of a breakthrough.
The second alternative lies in Lisbon especially after the success they had with the Europa and the Champions League last season. With Portugal being placed on the UK's green list, it enables travel without quarantine and UEFA considers Lisbon as a strong back-up option. Sources at ESPN have disclosed that FC Porto's Estadio do Dragao seems to be the ideal option although the stadium's TV compound is not big enough to accommodate the demand for a Champions League final and the lack of hotel accommodation is another key issue.
