UEFA considers moving UCL final venue to England

The UEFA Champions League final tie between Manchester City and Chelsea could be moved from Istanbul to England according to latest reports from reliable sources.

Man City and Chelsea face off in an all-English final on May 29, 2021. The final, which was supposed to be played in the Turkish city, is likely to be shifted to London as UEFA and the English FA glue in discussions over hosting the final in England after the U.K. government placed Turkey on its travel red list.

ESPN reported Saturday morning that UEFA is assessing its position on the venue for the UCL final after the body learned of the U.K. decision on the Eurasian country on Friday.

The ban, which is coming to effect on May 12, makes mandatory the isolation of travellers from Turkey to the U.K. for ten days. The restriction applies to both players and fans.

At least 8,000 travelling fans from both Manchester City and Chelsea anticipated to be in Turkey on the scheduled date are now warned against such travel as COVID-19 escalates.

A decision by UEFA to move the league’s final to England would mean a repeat of circumstance after the Ataturk Stadium missed out on last season’s final, which was moved to Lisbon.

Grant Shapps, U.K. Transport Secretary confirmed that the government, FA, and UEFA are now discussing the possibility of moving the game to England.

“The Champions League is the pinnacle of European club football,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson was quoted by the Sun on Friday.

“And with two English teams contesting the final, it would be a great shame if fans were unable to attend. It would be brilliant if we host the game here if we can. I want to help supporters of both clubs to see their team in action,” he further stated.

Wembley, the biggest football stadium in England, which last hosted the 2013 final, will not be available due to the EFL play-offs booked for the same weekend.

However, Villa Park in Birmingham offered to host the game if shifted. But UEFA has not ruled out the possibility of staging the game in Lisbon, again.

Portugal is not on the U.K. red list, which means, open travel between the two countries remained uninterrupted.

Turkey responds

The government of Turkey is opposed to the proposed decision of moving the game away from Istanbul saying the information was not officially relayed.

“U.K. officials seem to insist but we are moving ahead according to UEFA directions and statements. There were no updates from an official channel, we will be hosting the final in Istanbul,” a spokesperson from Turkish Football Federation said.

A change of venue, a moved backed by fans from both clubs, would be yet another intrigue the modern football fraternity has seen.

Manchester and Chelsea were all among the European clubs that threatened to break away and form the European Super League before dropping the idea after intense resistance backlash from fans.

ESPN contributed to this report