UEFA have set a deadline of April 7 for host cities to submit plans over the number of fans allowed in their stadiums for Euro 2020.
Currently, 12 cities are set to host the tournament. The semi-finals and final are to be played at Wembley. However, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has stated that the possibility of any game being played behind closed doors is “off the table”.
That, therefore, means that each host city must guarantee that they will be able to admit spectators or face being dropped as one of the hosts.
“We have set a deadline of April 20 for the final decision on the Euros,” Ceferin told Sky Sports last month.
“The ideal scenario is to play the tournament in the original 12 venues, but if that is not possible then it will go ahead in either 10 or 11 countries if one or more of the venues cannot meet the required conditions.”
The 12 countries and cities set to host Euro 2020 are:
- Azerbaijan (Baku)
- Denmark (Copenhagen)
- England (London)
- Germany (Munich)
- Hungary (Budapest)
- Italy (Rome)
- Netherlands (Amsterdam)
- Republic of Ireland (Dublin)
- Romania (Bucharest)
- Russia (Saint Petersburg)
- Scotland (Glasgow)
- Spain (Bilbao)
‘Shaky Dublin’
The Daily Mail has previously reported that all 12 host cities have indicated to UEFA that they will be able to admit some fans to stadiums. However, it has also been reported that there are discrepancies between the percentage of capacity available from country to country.
Commitments of just 10% capacity may not be sufficient to satisfy Ceferin and UEFA.
A report in the Irish Times last week suggested the Irish government has been warned a threshold of 25% capacity may be required to hang on to its four fixtures.
And a spokesman for the Department of Sport in Ireland told the Irish Sun that “the government… is not in a position at this point to provide assurances on minimum spectator levels”.
As well as Ireland, there have been concerns over Glasgow, Bilbao and Baku, but all those cities now appear more committed to going ahead with fans, now.
The commitment to at least some fans allows the possibility that numbers could rise if final decisions on the host cities are put off for a few more weeks.
England set to be handed at least FOUR more Euro 2020 games with Uefa braced for Dublin to pull out as host city | @MartinLipton https://t.co/E2agWyf52f pic.twitter.com/uvPq6KIf4p
— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) April 6, 2021
If Ireland is unable to satisfy UEFA’s requirements it is widely expected that those matches at the Aviva Stadium – involving Sweden, Slovakia and Poland as well as a second-round match – would be played in England, with the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a possible venue.
Wembley, which hosts seven matches, has reportedly told UEFA that it is hoping to accommodate 45,000 spectators – 50% of the 90,000 capacity – for the semi-finals and final.
German FA puts pressure on Euro 2020 host city Munich to allow fans
The German FA has urged health authorities in Munich to make it possible for spectators to be admitted to Euro 2020 matches at the Allianz Arena, ahead of UEFA’s deadline for host cities on Wednesday.
“I call on the city of Munich and Bavaria’s regional government to make every effort to present a solid scenario that will allow for, at least, a partial public attendance of matches in Munich,” Rainer Koch, a German Football Association (DFB) vice-president, told AFP subsidiary SID.
3/ Statement from City of Munich: “The DFB & Munich host city group are continuing to plan for UEFA Euro 2020 with various scenarios regarding fans in venues. On this basis, the documents have been submitted.”
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) April 6, 2021
Munich’s Allianz Arena is scheduled to host Germany’s pool matches against France on 15 June, Portugal (19 June) and Hungary (23 June), as well as a quarter-final (July 2).
However, fans have been not allowed to watch live matches at the Allianz Arena, home of club world champions Bayern Munich, since March 2020 due to the hygiene rules in Bavaria.
