Time for some huge soccer or european football news!!
Hosting rights for this year’s Champion’s League 2021 final on May 29 may be taken away from the Turkish venue. The two destinations that have been rumoured to be shortlisted are Wembley Stadium in London, and Benfica’s Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal.
Current Updates About Champions League 2021 Final
Which European clubs made it to the Champions League final 2021?
After a majestic round of two-legged semifinals, it is now going to be an all English finale, between two top clubs from London (Chelsea) and Manchester (Manchester City). It’s gonna be the ultimate battle of the Blues, as Chelsea had the upper hand over the last few games, having beaten Manchester City twice.
Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Thomas Tuchel’s Blues, meanwhile, overcame Real Madrid by an aggregate score of 3-1. PSG and Real Madrid were believed to make it to the finals as heavy weights and favourites after the 1st leg results.
When is the Champions League Final 2021?
The 2021 Champions League final will be played on Saturday May 29. The match will kick-off at 8pm BST (3pm ET). This means people in California, USA and can enjoy their lunch time (12 pm) with the game to kick-off their weekend.
Why Americans would keep their eyes on a European Finale?
People in United States will get a chance to see their local boy Christian Pulisic, a yound star who have dazzeled the world of soccer, while playing in the United States National Team and his current English Club Chelsea. The attacking talent and dribbling skills of Pulisic are set to raise the vibes across the England and United States, as the two finalists have a huge volume of fans across the USA too.
Which venue was decided for the final?
Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, was decided by the UEFA.
However, the pandemic has changed the lives of every single individual across the world, huge events like this one were affected too. Due to the strict protocols and restrictions laid by the Foreign governments, UEFA committee had to do nothing but cooperate and respect the situation.
What is the current situation in Turkey for teams travelling from the UK?
The UK government has placed Turkey on its travel red list last week, meaning fans cannot travel to the game. It means that all passengers travelling to the UK from Turkey will be forced to undergo 10 days of mandatory quarantine at pre-approved airport hotels – with no exceptions.
Why the change of venue is being proposed?
Based on this, the players, support staff, and their fans (4000 of each club) allowed to travel, will have to be put into isolation upon their return to England. This will also hamper England’s preparation for the European Championships (the rescheduled Euro 2020). Assuming teams return on May 30, their quarantine will end on June 9, and the international competition starts on June 11. Now, you can imagine why the change of venue makes sense!
What Boris Johnson said and proposed on Champions League Final Venue ?
On the other hand, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, has given assurances for football matches with limited fans from next week onwards. He also has given the proposals to the UEFA committee to consider Wembley as an option where the fans could also enjoy the finale with utmost safety and security assurances.
The Prime Minister of the UK mentioned: “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”.
On the flipside, Lisbon in Portugal is also considered as a valid alternative venue, with Portugal on the UK green list for travel, meaning fans could attend without quarantine.
What is a better option for UEFA? Stadium in Lisbon or in Wembley?
UEFA was always reluctant to move the final again from Istanbul after the same happened last year too. However, the UEFA committee was surprised by the decision and are considering all the possible options.
Wembley, as of now, is scheduled to host the Championship play-off final, the domestic league of England. They will also consider having the discussions with UEFA, but are waiting the call from the UEFA about their decision on changing and fixing the new venue.
How many fans are expected to be allowed to the finale?
Uefa expected a crowd of 25,000 at the Ataturk Stadium. Whereas, under rules expected to be confirmed by Johnson, only 10,000 would be allowed into Wembley. UEFA will consider what the government of Portugal and UK will have their say on capacity within the stadiums for the final.
When was Istanbul given the final hosting rights?
In May 2018, it was decided that the Ataturk Stadium will host the 2020 Champions League final after the 2005 edition. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Champions League 2020 final was shifted to Lisbon, Portugal.
The 2021 final was to initially decided to be held at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The UEFA committee, later decided to push back the final hosts by a year, just in order to be fair. Hence, Istanbul would host 2021 (instead of 2020), Saint Petersburg will host in 2022 (instead of 2021), and so on.
Is the venue shift confirmed?
Not yet. The UEFA is tight lipped over this as of now. But a lot of movements are happening behind the scenes. UEFA is hoping to take the right decision for the footballing community.
The Turkish Football Federation is still confident and firm over the hosting of the Champions League final, despite the fact that Turkey recorded 15,191 new Corona cases in a single day on May 9.
What UEFA has to say as of now?
Of course, the spokesperson from the UEFA, has released a statement to the Guradian:
“The Uefa Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on 29 May with a limited number of spectators and we are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force until 17 May (in Turkey) should not have any impact on the match. UEFA continues to work closely with the Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely.”
UEFA has indicated the 2021 Champions League final in Istanbul to be played with limited in-person attendance of the fans.
A statement released from UEFA on May 6 states:
“We are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force [in Turkey] until 17 May should not have any impact on the match.”
Whatever happens, one thing is sure that it will be a nail-biting affair and an end-to-end contest, for the fans around the world.
How to watch or stream the Champions League Final on May 29?
The Champions league final 2021 in the USA will be shown live on CBS All Access, and TUDN Deportes. BT Sport will host the broadcasting across the UK.
