UCL: UEFA to hold talks with UK govt about moving final from Istanbul to Wembley
UEFA are set to hold talks with the UK Government on Monday regarding the location of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City.
Istanbul is the current location for the final later this month, but Turkey has been placed on the UK government travel red list which has complicated matters.
Discussions over potentially holding the final in England are to take place on Monday, with a decision expected to be made on Tuesday.
As a result of the travel restrictions put in place supporters will not be able to travel to Turkey for the final on May 29, even though UEFA had planned to allow 4,000 fans from both clubs to attend the match.
The current situation would require players to quarantine for ten days on their return to the UK from Istanbul, which could have significant consequences for those involved in Euros starting on June 11.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has made it clear that fans were not to travel to Istanbul for the match.
‘It does mean that fans should not travel to Turkey,’ Shapps said.
‘The FA are in discussions with UEFA. We are open to hosting but it is ultimately a decision for UEFA. We are well placed to do (host) it, given it is two English clubs in the final.’
Michael Gove also indicated that the UK government were keen to bring the final to England to avoid the issue of travelling to Turkey.
‘There are delicate negotiations that are going on at the moment,’ Gove told Sky News when asked about the match potentially being moved.
‘My friend, my colleague, the culture secretary Oliver Dowden, is talking to people about this at the moment, and so I don’t want to cut across that.
‘But I’m sure that fans in the UK would dearly love to see the final played here in the UK.’
The EFL have indicated that they would be willing to move the three play-off finals, which are due to be played at Wembley on the same weekend as the Champions League final, to help the situation, while Villa Park has also been mentioned.