Euro 2020 final: UEFA officials and VIPs may be exempted from quarantine rules

The UK Government was steadfast in refusal earlier this month when asked if quarantine requirements would be eased for fans travelling to England for Euro 2020.

That stance, however, could reportedly be softened when it comes to admitting UEFA and FIFA officials, politicians, sponsors and broadcasters.

UK officials are determined for the semifinals and final of Euro 2020 to be held at Wembley, London, and are doing “as much as we possibly can” to appease UEFA according to one minister. Previously there had been rumors that the UEFA Champions League final, between Chelsea and Manchester City, could be held in the UK but an unwillingness to grant exemptions in that case proved a stumbling block.

However, English broadsheet newspaper The Times reported on Friday that the government will allow about 2500 VIPs into England without the need to quarantine in a bid to stop the Euros games being moved from London to Budapest. The Hungarian capital is the only one of 11 Euro 2020 host cities to stage matches at full capacity.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  London — Wembley Stadium

  Final in London! With 90,000 seats, the rebuilt stadium in Wembley will be the largest arena at Euro 2020. Even if the historic splendor of the “Old Wembley” has gone, its replacement is still imposing. In addition to three group games and a round of 16 match, both semifinals and the final will also take place here. But will England still be there?

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Munich — Allianz Arena

  The Allianz Arena is the pride and joy of Bayern Munich. Built as a pure soccer stadium with a capacity of 67,812 seats, it meets UEFA’s highest standards. The stadium’s illuminated oval-shaped outer shell is worth seeing. During the Euros, Munich will host the three first-round matches of the German national team, plus a quarterfinal.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Rome — Olympic Stadium

  The Olympic Stadium in Rome seats 72,700, but is in need of renovation. In 1987, the Athletics World Championships were held in this stadium, as well as the 1990 World Cup. It was the venue for the German team’s successes in the 1980 Euros and in Italia 90. Three preliminary round matches and a quarterfinal will be played in Rome.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Baku — National Stadium

  The new National Stadium of Azerbaijan, which opened in March 2015, holds 69,870 spectators. It replaced the small Tofik Bahramov Stadium as the home ground of Azerbaijan’s national team. In 2019, Chelsea won the Europa League final here against Arsenal. At Euro 2020, Baku will get three group games and a quarterfinal.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  St. Petersburg — Kretowski Stadium 

  The Kretowski Stadium in St. Petersburg, also known as the Gazprom Arena, was built for the 2018 World Cup. The arena seats 69,000 spectators and stands on the site of the old Kirov Stadium, which was demolished in 2006. The construction costs were immense, at around €930 million. The arena will host three group matches and a quarterfinal in 2021.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Copenhagen — Parken

  Home of Danish giants FC Copenhagen, Parken is one of the smallest stadiums at Euro 2020 with just over 38,000 seats. The impressive infrastructure of the city and the modern nature of the stadium were in its favor though. In the inaugural match at the stadium in 1992, Denmark lost 2-1 to Germany in a friendly. This time, three preliminary round matches and a round of 16 match are planned.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Amsterdam — Johan Cruyff Arena

  The 52,960-capacity arena, named after Holland’s famous number 14, is one of the most innovative stadiums at the European Championship. The arena has a retractable roof and is equipped with special lights that control the growth of the grass. It already played host to matches at Euro 2000. Twenty-one years later, Amsterdam will host three group matches and a round of 16 game.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Bucharest — National Stadium

  The new Romanian National Stadium was built from 2008 onwards on the same site as the old National Stadium, which had stood since 1953. It has a capacity of 55,600 and hosts the international matches of Romania. At Euro 2020, three preliminary round matches and round of 16 games will be played here.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Seville — Olympic Stadium 

  Because the city’s two major soccer clubs — Real Betis and Sevilla — have their own stadiums, soccer games are rarely played at the Estadio Olimpico. It seats 57,619 spectators. Bilbao was originally planned as the venue, but was dumped by UEFA because the Basque regional government could not guarantee the presence of spectators during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Budapest — Ferenc Puskas Stadium

  The stadium, named after one of Hungary’s best soccer players, is where the Hungarian national soccer team plays most of its home games. In recent weeks, the stadium has often been an alternate venue in the Champions League — for RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach, among others. At the European Championship, three group matches and one round of 16 match will be played here.

• Euro 2020: The stadiums in pictures

  Glasgow — Hampden Park

  The 52,500-capacity arena was the largest soccer stadium in the world until the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro opened in 1950. Hampden Park, usually home to the Scottish national team, will host three group games and a round of 16 match at Euro 2020, although Scotland’s game against England will take place at Wembley. Both Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen have lost European Cup finals here.

  Author: Andreas Sten-Ziemons

Currently, England’s coronavirus restrictions would require most teams competing at the European Championships to quaratine for 10 days. Wales and Scotland are the only participating nations on England’s green list, which means travellers don’t require an isolation period.

Turkey is on the red list, which would mean a hotel quarantine of 10 days, while all other countries are on the amber list, which requires 10 days of self-isolation at home.

Travellers can be released from quarantine early if they produce a negative test, at least five days after arrival.

Policing and crime minister Kit Malthouse said they were trying to “accommodate the Euros as much as we possibly can”.

“And while much of the concern around coronavirus regulations has been about whether one situation is fair compared with another situation, what we’re generally trying to do is make difficult decisions about the path of a virus at the same time as trying to enable the ordinary operation of very special events like the Euros.

Games in Budapest are being played in front of a capacity crowd

“It’s a great competition, we’re very lucky to have it, we’re trying to make it happen with as much kind of satisfaction all round as we possibly can and that will be taken into account in the decision over the next few days.”

The Times reported that ministers were concerned the final and semifinals could be moved to Hungary if they don’t relax the rules.

DW has contacted UEFA for clarification on these issues and will publish a response should one be received.

js/mp (Reuters, AP)

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