Picture Credit: sportbible.com
The Champions League final between Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea on May 29 has been moved from Istanbul to Porto, the European governing body UEFA confirmed on Thursday. The game on 29 May has been moved from Turkey to the Portugal because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Turkey is on the red list, while Portugal is on England's green list. As a result, players and fans can attend the final without having to quarantine on their return home.
6000 fans from each team allowed to attend
There had been talks over moving the highly-anticipated final to London's Wembley Stadium. But UEFA said that despite "exhaustive efforts on the part of the (English) Football Association and the authorities, it was not possible to achieve the necessary exemptions from UK quarantine arrangements."
"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," he added.
Notably, it is the second successive year that the final will be held in Portugal. Last year's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich was also held in Portugal, albeit behind closed doors.