UEFA Champions League Final Moved To Porto

A copious amount of COVID-19 cases in Istanbul has caused the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to move the Champions League final to Portugal for the second year in a row.

Estadio do Dragao, in Porto, will now host the 2021 final between English teams Manchester City and Chelsea due to the United Kingdom (UK) government “red-listing” Turkey as a travel destination.

If the fixture was to be played in Istanbul, it would have meant that players and staff would have had to isolate in a government approved hotel upon return.

UEFA announced that both clubs will be allowed 6,000 tickets for their fans and fans and players would not need to quarantine upon returning home.

On the decision to move the final, UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, said: “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,” Ceferin said.

“After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don’t have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season,” he said.