Champions League final officially moved to Porto
By Tom Gott
UEFA have confirmed that the upcoming Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City has officially been moved to the Estádio do Dragão in Portugal.
Initially scheduled to take place in Istanbul, plans quickly had to change after the UK government added Turkey to their 'red list' for COVID-19 travel restrictions, with trips to the country to be avoided unless completely necessary.
The government had offered up Wembley Stadium for the event, which made a lot of sense as both participants are English, but despite UEFA agreeing to a move to Wembley, logistical issues got in the way, 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.
“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.
The #UCLfinal between Manchester City and Chelsea will now be held at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.
— UEFA (@UEFA) May 13, 2021
6,000 fans of each team will be able to attend.
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“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.
“We accept that the decision of the British Government to place Turkey on the red list for travel was taken in good faith and in the best interests of protecting its citizens from the spread of the virus but it also presented us with a major challenge in staging a final featuring two English teams.
“The difficulties of moving the final are great and the FA and the authorities made every effort to try to stage the match in England and I would like to thank them for their work in trying to make it happen."