Sheikh Mansour to fund Man City supporters' trip to Champions League final

Manchester City have announced that Sheikh Mansour will fund the flight and transfer costs for supporters on the official club trip to the Champions League final.

City are set to fly out to Portugal to meet Chelsea on May 29, with costs already soaring through the roof before you even consider the extra costs of COVID-19 tests and precautions.

A recent ruling in Portugal means fans travelling from England must arrive and depart within 24 hours of the final, and the limited number of flights means tickets can cost an arm and a leg for fans lucky enough to even find a spare.

Wary that the inflated costs could make a trip to the match impossible for some fans, City confirmed on their official website that Mansour is prepared to personally pay for flights and transfers for the thousands of City fans on the club's travel package.

"Pep [Guardiola] and the team have had such a remarkable season and their reaching the Champions League Final after a very challenging year represents a truly historic moment for the Club," said Sheikh Mansour.

"It is therefore incredibly important that as many fans as possible have the opportunity to attend this special game. Especially those who have supported Manchester City through good and bad times for so many years.”

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: “The challenges faced by supporters ahead of this final are multiple, both in financial and logistical terms.

"Hopefully His Highness’ initiative allows the majority of our attending fans to focus on enjoying the day rather than worrying about how to bear the burden of travel costs which have become all the more onerous due to the effects of the pandemic.”

City played in front of fans for the first time this season in April's Carabao Cup triumph, with 2,000 supporters allowed into Wembley for the event.

10,000 supporters will be permitted into City's final Premier League home game of the season - the meeting with Everton on May 23 - before 6,000 can make the trip out to Portugal for the UCL final.

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