For the second time in as many years, there is a chance that the venue for the UEFA Champions League final will change again. If the reports are to be believed, the highly-awaited Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea is all set to move from Istanbul to London’s iconic – Wembley Stadium. UEFA will hold a virtual meeting with the British government to make a decision on shifting the Champions League final because of travel restrictions.
England’s government have added Istanbul in the ‘red zone list’ after some severe coronavirus outbreaks in Turkey. Last year, the final between Paris Saint-Germain and eventual winners Bayern Munich was originally scheduled to be held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, but was moved to the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UK Prime minister Boris Johnson said at the weekend: “It would be brilliant to host [the final] here if we can” and that “with two English teams in the final, it would be a great shame if fans were unable to attend”.
Wembley is currently scheduled to host the Championship play-off final on 29 May one of the most important fixtures in the Football League calendar.
The travel waivers already granted by the government for the UEFA European Championship would have to be brought forward by two weeks to stage the May 29 final of its biggest club competition in London.
UEFA could also seek quarantine waivers for dignitaries and sponsors for the Champions League final, which could be attended by around 20,000 fans as will be the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has set up a final showdown against Manchester City in the finals of the Champions League after defeating Real Madrid in the second leg semi-final on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge.
In the second-leg semi-final, Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 2-0 and as a result, they won the fixture 3-1 on aggregate.
Earlier, Manchester City had defeated Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in the first semifinal on aggregate.