UEFA has reportedly threatened to relocate the UEFA Euro 2020 Final to Hungary unless the UK Government provides a quarantine exemption for 2,500 VIP officials. England is all set to host the tournament’s both the semi-final and the final at Wembley Stadium in London – with the latter taking place on Sunday, July 11.
As it stands, a ten-day self-isolation is required for tourists arriving in the UK from the countries that are in the amber or red-list. UK ministers are now discussing a proposal to exempt UEFA and FIFA officials from having to undergo a 10-day quarantine. Notably, 23 teams of Euro 2020 are on the amber list, while Turkey is on the red list.
UEFA has said that they are prepared to change the venue if the hosting city is under Covid restrictions that could prevent fans, officials, and important corporate guests from attending the games. Hungary could host the finals if England does not ease their quarantine rules.
A similar situation occurred or the 2020-2021 Champions League final. UEFA decided to move the game from Istanbul after Turkey was placed on the UK’s red list of countries, which allowed travel only in exceptional circumstances. Since both teams in the final were from England, UEFA was left with no choice but to move the final away from Turkey.
England was named as one of the favourites to host the relocated final after Manchester City and Chelsea were going to play the final. However, UEFA, government officials, and the Football Association of England were unable to agree on quarantine exemptions for sponsors, VIPs, and broadcasters. Eventually, UEFA decided to move the final to Porto, Portugal. The governing body of European football had also held knockout stages of the Champions League in Portugal at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. If the UK government doesn’t agree with UEFA’s demands, then Euro 2020 final could face a similar fate as the Champions League final.