8 host cities of Euro 2020 confirm spectators in matches

UEFA on April 9, said that 8 out of 12 venues will allow spectators at
matches on the basis of COVID-19 projections. The remaining 4 cities (Munich,
Rome, Bilbao and Dublin) have been given time till April 19 to give their
decisions. The decisions bear the risk of losing the rights to host any game in the
future.

UEFA’s executive committee said that there is a possibility that the
city could be stripped off its rights to host a match in the coming future.

Earlier this week the Football Association of Ireland admitted it was “not
in a position at this point to provide assurances on minimum spectator
levels” in Dublin, but the country is preparing to take tentative steps
towards lifting its current lockdown which has been in place since December.

Bilbao is understood to be hoping to allow 13,000 fans inside the
53,000-capacity San Mames, but that is based on strict conditions laid out by
authorities which the Spanish Football Federation said will make it
“impossible” to admit spectators.

Also Read | Dembele on the mark as Barcelona edge closer to La Liga summit

The city of Munich indicated on Tuesday that it could only let fans
inside the Allianz Arena if the health situation at the time allows, but the
Italian government has given the green light for supporters to attend in Rome.

Last month UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin made it clear he did not
want any matches played “in front of empty stands” at the Euro, which
will be played from June 11 to July 11 after being postponed by a year due to
the pandemic.

The number of spectators allowed in stadiums nevertheless looks set to
vary considerably, with Saint-Petersburg and Baku confirming they will allow
crowds at 50 percent of capacity and Hungarian capital Budapest aiming to allow
100 percent capacity “but with strict stadium entry requirements for
spectators.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that by the beginning
of the Euro all those who registered for vaccination in Hungary would have
received it and would therefore be eligible to attend.

“Everyone who is registered will definitely have been vaccinated,
and with their vaccination card will have the opportunity to take part in this
event,” he said.

UEFA said Amsterdam, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Glasgow will allow
between a quarter and a third of full capacity, while London “has
confirmed a minimum capacity of 25 percent for the first three group matches
and round of 16 match”.

That leaves open the possibility that more fans will be able to attend
the remaining matches at Wembley Stadium, which will stage both the semi-finals
and the final.

UEFA said each host city had been left to make its own decision on the
number of fans permitted to attend games and that “many factors” had
been taken into consideration, notably the roll-out of vaccinations.

Also Read | La Liga: Atletico suffer another setback in title race after Sevilla defeat

Supporters with tickets hoping to travel to Budapest will not have to
quarantine on arrival, UEFA said, but will need to present two negative
Covid-19 test results.

In Azerbaijan, fans with tickets in Baku will be allowed to attend and
will not need to quarantine as long as they are citizens or residents of
Turkey, Switzerland or the United Kingdom as well as the countries who reach
the quarter-finals.

Bucharest will also let ticket holders in with a negative test and a
guarantee to stay less than three days.

However, the body said “no exemptions will be made for ticket
holders elsewhere”. All fans with tickets can therefore choose to hand
them back by April 22 and get a full refund.