By Andrew Warshaw
April 10 – UEFA have given four of the 12 European Championship host cities until April 19 to come up with further details of their plans to allow fans to attend – or risk being thrown out.
Munich, Rome – where the opening game is scheduled to take place on June 11 – Bilbao and Dublin have been given extra time to guarantee fan access before a final decision is made at UEFA’s next executive committee meeting on whether they will have to have their games transferred elsewhere in the pan-European competition.
“The remaining four cities have until 19 April to provide additional information on their plans and final decisions will be made on that date regarding the staging of matches in those four venues,” UEFA said.
“Currently, eight host countries have confirmed stadium capacities based on their projections of an improved health situation in their countries in June and July due to a number of factors, including a country’s vaccination rollout, its planned measures for reopening the economy and the projected slow-down in the virus due to warmer season.”
UEFA are reported to be most concerned about Dublin, where lockdown measures are still in full force, being in a position to say by the deadline if its stadium can open up to supporters. Bilbao is also under threat of being cut but reports suggest UEFA is more optimistic about Rome and Munich.
Baku (Azerbaijan), Budapest (Hungary) and St. Petersburg (Russia) have already said that ticket holders flying in will be exempt from any quarantine or other entry requirements apart from proof of negative COVID-19 tests.
Baku and St. Petersburg say at least 50% of their stadiums can be filled, with the possibility of increasing. Only one city, Budapest, says it is aiming to have its stadium at full capacity – the 67,000 capacity Puskas Arena – albeit with “strict” entry requirements.
Wembley, with seven fixtures, will have at least a quarter of the 90,000-seat stadium filled in the group stage and last 16. The hope is then 45,000 for the semi-finals and the July 11 final.
Amsterdam, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Glasgow say capacities can be at 25% to 33%, with all but Glasgow saying this could rise depending on the development of their mass testing programmes and the overall pandemic situation.
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