Why Portugal?
Portugal was deemed as a viable alternative since it is on the UK’s ‘green list’ of countries for international travel — meaning English fans would not be required to quarantine upon their arrival in the country.
This would therefore allow fans from each club to attend the final.
The final stages of last season’s Champions League tournament were also moved to Portugal, following the resumption of the 2019-20 season.
Why not England?
There were a number of stumbling blocks in the discussions between UEFA, the UK government and the English football authorities.
For example, UEFA had wanted quarantine exemptions for various attendees — such as sponsors, VIP and its staff —and also for the capacity of spectators to be raised.
It is believed the UK government was unable to provide these concessions.
The decision to take the final to Porto instead of London means the EFL play-off finals will be staged at Wembley as originally planned.
And why not Turkey?
Last week, the UK government announced that Turkey had been added to the red list for international travel from the United Kingdom. This is due to a significant surge in COVID-19 cases.
The decision will not be reassessed until after the Champions League final.
That means that if people fly back from Turkey to the UK, they have to quarantine in government-approved hotels for 10 days.
That applies to elite sportspeople too, with no exemption for their bubble. The UK government would have had to grant special travel exemptions for players and club staff to get around the issue.
UEFA decided to move the game to Portugal to avoid the above, while Istanbul is now expected to host the final in 2023.
What’s been said?
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “Once again we have turned to our friends in Portugal to help both UEFA and the Champions League and I am, as always, very grateful to the FPF (Portuguese football federation) and the Portuguese government for agreeing to stage the match at such short notice.
“I think we can all agree that we hope never to experience a year like the one we have just endured.
“Fans have had to suffer more than 12 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.
“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.”
(Photo: Quality Sport Images via Getty Images)
