Change of venue for the Champions League final, scheduled between Chelsea and Manchester City on 29 May. The match will in fact be played at the “Do Dragao” in Porto and no longer in Istanbul, which must give up hosting the final for the second consecutive year. Uefa communicates this in a note.
«The Champions League final moves to Portugal to allow the participation of 6,000 fans from each team. The final was originally scheduled at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium but, following the UK government’s decision to include Turkey on its Covid-19 travel destination red list, organizing the final would have meant none of the club fans would be been able to travel to see the challenge. After a year in which the fans were closed out of the stadiums, Uefa thought it was necessary to do everything to ensure the participation of the fans of the two finalist teams. Uefa has discussed moving the match to England but, despite the exhaustive efforts by the Football Association and the authorities, it has not been possible to obtain the necessary exemptions from the UK’s quarantine agreements, “explained Uefa.
The Portuguese authorities and the FPF stepped in and worked together quickly and seamlessly with Uefa to offer a suitable venue for the final and, as Portugal is a green list destination for England, the fans and players who participate in the final they will not have to go into quarantine when they return home. The decision does not come without great regret over the work that the Turkish football authorities have done over the past two years to ensure the success of the final in Istanbul.
“UEFA is also grateful for their continued collaboration and spirit of cooperation, as well as for the understanding they have shown in this particular circumstance and will urgently examine future opportunities for the city of Istanbul,” added Uefa. The stadium capacity for the match will be defined and confirmed in due course in cooperation with the Portuguese authorities and the FPF. However, fans of competing teams will be able to purchase tickets through clubs in the usual way, with the 6,000 club tickets on sale as soon as possible from today. The agreements for the sale of tickets to the public will begin on May 24, 2021 at 14:00. The number of supporters of each team who can participate is the same as expected in Istanbul.