Boris Johnson backs bid to move Chelsea vs Man City Champions League final to England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for the Champions League final to be switched to England after coronavirus-ravaged Turkey was put on the Government’s foreign-travel “red list”.

Talks about the move – with Wembley in the frame – have already been initiated by the Government after Istanbul’s staging of the all-English clash between Manchester City and Chelsea was thrown into major doubt following the announcement of rules that would force those returning from the game – including players – to quarantine for 10 days at a hotel at a cost of £1,750.

With a host of England players due to feature in the May 29 final, that would plunge Gareth Southgate’s preparations for the European Championship into chaos. The rules would also wreck the plans of many City and Chelsea fans who had been hoping restrictions on travel to the game might be relaxed, not tightened.

All this prompted the Government, Football Association and Uefa to open talks about moving the match to Wembley, which fan leaders from both clubs, and a host of MPs and public health experts, had already called for.

After Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced Turkey would join the UK’s red list on May 17, Johnson told The Sun: “The Champions League is the pinnacle of European club football. And with two English teams in the final, it would be a great shame if fans were unable to attend. It would be brilliant to host it here if we can. I want to help supporters of both clubs see their team in action.”

Wembley is scheduled to host the English Football League play-off finals the same weekend as the Champions League final but the Daily Telegraph can reveal preliminary talks have already taken place that could see them moved to another ground.

The Telegraph has also been told Aston Villa would be willing to host the Uefa showpiece if asked, although there are doubts about how much work would be required to bring it up to the standard required for the biggest game in club football.

Another option would be Tottenham Hotspur, who had previously offered to stage any spare Euro 2020 matches if necessary, but sources ruled out two major finals in London on the same day.

A major stumbling block to moving the Champions League final to Wembley could be the requirement for almost all foreign nationals entering the UK to self-isolate for up to 10 days.

That may include Uefa’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, other dignitaries invited to the climax of its flagship club competition, and foreign media.

The Telegraph has been told Uefa would want restrictions relaxed for these groups in order to move the final to England.

It would also want a bigger crowd at the game than the cap of 10,000 that has been imposed by the Government on outdoor sporting events from May 17.

That could be solved by adding a Wembley Champions League final to the list of pilot events for the return of crowds, something that will see an attendance of 21,000 at next Saturday’s FA Cup final.

An alternative would be to stage Uefa’s showpiece in a country not on the UK’s red list, something which would allow the likes of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Reece James to link up with the England squad upon returning to Britain.

That would leave City and Chelsea players in the same boat as those from Manchester United after Poland, the venue for their Europa League final clash against Villarreal, was placed on the Government’s amber list.

Sources told the Telegraph it was possible ministers would consider waiving the requirement to quarantine upon return from Turkey for England players to prevent disruption to the Euros.

Uefa could yet seize on that to keep the final in Istanbul having been left reeling by the announcement, which came as it was preparing to announce ticketing arrangements for the game.

That would still mean British fans attending face paying £1,750 to self-isolate for 10 days in a Government-sanctioned hotel upon returning to the UK.

With the clubs being allocated up to 12,000 tickets, there are doubts about whether Britain currently has enough quarantine-hotel capacity to cope with a simultaneous influx of thousands of football fans.

Shapps was clear that supporters “should not travel” to the game if it remained in Istanbul.

Kevin Parker, the general secretary of the Manchester City Supporters Club, and Cliff Auger, chair of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, told the Telegraph the match should be moved to England following the announcement.

Portugal, announced on the green list for travel – meaning no self-isolation upon return – was proposed by Parker as an alternative venue.

Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee, said: “It defies all logic to hold the final in Turkey – it’s actually irresponsible.”

The Telegraph has been told the country was added to the red list not only because of its own struggle to contain Covid-19 but because it is a major transport hub between the UK and the likes of India, which has now become the world’s worst affected country.

Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium has been preparing to host around 25,000 spectators for the Champions League final, with the Turkish government planning to use the occasion to help kick-start a major tourism drive when the country comes out of a 17-day lockdown in 10 days’ time.

Its staging of the fixture was postponed from last year when Uefa moved the tail end of both its club competitions to Portugal.

St Petersburg and Wembley’s hosting of the subsequent two Champions League finals were also put back a year as a result and could be shifted again were Istanbul offered the 2022 edition.

What has happened?

The Government has placed coronavirus-ravaged Turkey on its “red list” for travel when the near blanket ban on leaving the country is lifted on May 17. Anyone attending the Champions League final in Istanbul must therefore self-isolate for 10 days at a Government-sanctioned hotel at a cost of £1,750. That would include City’s and Chelsea’s players because there is no elite-sport exemption from the red list.

What would that mean for the European Championship?

It would throw England’s preparations, at least, into chaos. Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Reece James would all have to self-isolate until a few days before the country’s opening Euro 2020 match against Croatia at Wembley. City and Chelsea’s other Euros players could avoid quarantine by linking straight up with their own countries rather than returning to the UK.

Will the Government waive quarantine for the game?

Whitehall sources have told Telegraph Sport it is possible ministers would consider an exemption for City and Chelsea’s England players given they are being kept in Covid-secure bubbles. But the idea it would do so for up to 12,000 fans travelling to a country on the red list is almost unthinkable. Indeed, it may be hoping the £1,750 hotel costs put off enough people going to stop it running out of capacity.

Will the final be moved to England?

Talks have begun over doing so but it remains to be seen what Uefa and Istanbul’s position on that would be. This could be viewed as a problem of the UK’s own making, especially as England’s players would be out of quarantine by the time Euro 2020 begins. Britain’s travel restrictions also mean almost all foreigners entering the country must self-isolate, which could include Uefa’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, and a host of dignitaries invited to the final. The governing body may demand these are relaxed before considering any such switch.

Where could it be played?

If it moves to the UK, it would appear it is Wembley or bust. The national stadium is scheduled to host the English Football League play-off finals the same weekend as the Champions League final but the Telegraph has been told preliminary talks have already taken place that could see them moved to another ground. The Telegraph has been told Aston Villa would also be willing to stage the Uefa showpiece, while Tottenham Hotspur previously offered to stage any spare Euro 2020 matches if necessary but sources have ruled out two major finals in London on the same day.

What about the Europa League final?

Poland is on the amber list, meaning Manchester United’s England players will be able to link up with Gareth Southgate’s squad immediately upon returning to the UK. United fans attending the match will have to self-isolate for up to 10 days but, unlike City and Chelsea supporters, they will be allowed to do so at home.