The Wembley Stadium might no longer host the semi-final and final games of the ongoing Euro 2020 if UEFA and the UK government fail to agree on the conditions surrounding the games.
UEFA has planned to host the final week of the European Championship in London but the football governing body and UK government have not concluded on whether spectators would be allowed to fly into the country for the game.
The two parties have not also agreed on how the foreign spectators would be handled when they arrive in the UK for the games.
On the other hand, UEFA wants the UK government to exempt the staff of the football governing body, officials of Euro 2020, and other stakeholders of the tournament from strict coronavirus protocol during the semi-final and the final of the tournament.
Recall that just like other countries in the world, the United Kingdom is battling to prevent the continuous spread of the dreaded coronavirus. Hence, strict measures have been put in place to screen travelers from the point of arrival to their final destinations.
UEFA believes that the strict protocol would make things a bit too difficult for the dignitaries that might want to come for the semi-final and final games of Euro 2020.
When the press asked the UK Prime Minister, Baron Johnson about the situation surrounding the country’s plan with UEFA, the Prime Minister said the country would prioritize public health over the tournament.
He said: “We’ll do what we have to do to keep the country safe from Covid – that’s obviously going to be our priority, and we’ll be talking to Uefa about what they want and see if we can make some sensible accommodations.
“But the priority has to be public health.”
In reaction to the assertion of the Prime Minister, a statement from UEFA stressed that the football body governing body is confident that the last week of Euro 2020 would be hosted at Wembley Stadium as planned. The statement however noted that a contingency plan is already in place in case things fail to go as planned.
“We understand the pressures that the government faces and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion of our discussions on the matter,” Uefa said in a statement.
“There is always a contingency plan but we are confident that the final week will be held in London.”
England played their Euro 2020 Group D opener against Croatia at the Wembley Stadium on June 13. The match which ended 1-0 in favor of England hosted 22,500 spectators which are 25 percent of the sitting capacity of the stadium.
To the thousands of you at @wembleystadium and the millions watching from afar:
— England (@England) June 13, 2021
It's your support that drives us on. Keep it coming.
🏴 pic.twitter.com/pw2WKmwy8m
Also, the Wembley Stadium will host England’s second Group D game which is against Scotland. The match is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 tonight, June 18, 2021.
