The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul is expected to lose the rights to host the UEFA Champions League Final for the second consecutive year. UEFA is set to make a decision soon whether to move the final to either England or Portugal.
According to several sources, UEFA is in talks to move the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League Final from Istanbul to either England or Portugal. That means that the Ataturk Olympic Stadium will lose the right to host the highly-anticipated match for the second year in a row. The Covid outbreak saw the entire knockout stage of the competition move to Lisbon last year, thus transferring Istanbul’s license to host the final to 2021.
Now, ESPN reports that the final could be played in either London or Lisbon, with the Covid situation worsening in Turkey. Fans have made a plea to allow the match to be played at the Wembley Stadium in London, citing the fact that two English clubs will be competing in the trophy clash.
However, the United Kingdom government’s decision to put any new arrival in the country in a mandatory ten-day quarantine could make it impossible for the match to be played there. As many as two thousand UEFA staff members, sponsors, and international broadcast right holders are required to be present at the game, which, under the current UK laws, won’t be possible.
Another City that could host this year’s UCL final is Lisbon. The Estadio da Luz – which is home to Benfica – hosted the title clash last season between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain. Meanwhile, Estádio José Alvalade and Estadio Dragao in Porto are also being touted as alternatives.
A key factor behind moving the final to Portugal is the country’s position on UK’s green list – which is a list that allows for travelling without needing to quarantine subsequently. Hosting the final in either England or Portugal would allow fans to attend the showpiece event, which will be played on May 29 between Manchester City and Chelsea.
