Istanbul And UK Snubbed As UEFA Chooses New Venue For 2021 #UCLFinal—-Ahead of the 2021 UEFA Champions League final formally scheduled for Istanbul, Turkey, UEFA has officially confirmed that the upcoming #UCL final between Chelsea and Manchester City has been moved to the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal.
The Genius Media Nigeria reports that the game was initially scheduled to take place in Istanbul, but plans quickly had to change after the UK government added Turkey to their ‘red list’ for COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The government had offered Wembley Stadium for the event, which made a lot of sense as both finalists are English.
Logistical issues got in the way, however, with quarantine rules for visiting officials thought to be one of the biggest hurdles.
Porto was long seen as a viable alternative, and now UEFA have confirmed on their official website that the Estádio do Dragão will host the game and open its doors to 6,000 fans from each side.
The #UCLfinal between Manchester City and Chelsea will now be held at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.
6,000 fans of each team will be able to attend.
Full story: ⬇️
— UEFA (@UEFA) May 13, 2021
“I think we can all agree that we hope never to experience a year like the one we have just endured,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
“Fans have had to suffer more than twelve months without the ability to see their teams live and reaching a Champions League final is the pinnacle of club football. To deprive those supporters of the chance to see the match in person was not an option and I am delighted that this compromise has been found.
“After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don’t have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season.
“Once again we have turned to our friends in Portugal to help both UEFA and the Champions League and I am, as always, very grateful to the FPF and the Portuguese Government for agreeing to stage the match at such short notice.
