A senior UEFA official said on Tuesday that UEFA needs to consider “extremely cautious” whether the semi-finals and final of the UEFA Cup should be held in the United Kingdom, which is facing a spike in Covid-19 infections.
London’s Wembley Stadium is set to host the semi-finals on July 6-7 and the final on July 11 with more than 60,000 fans – 75% of its capacity – as the new Delta virus causes a spike in infections.
“There will be a lot of people, and the idea of the stadium will be full at the moment [em que] “We are so concerned that the Delta version exists in its own right that it sends a message that UEFA needs to look very carefully,” European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.
Schinas, who oversees the bloc’s public health policies, said there was an “inconsistency” to take into account as the UK was restricting its citizens’ travel to the EU as it prepares to accept a “massive presence” of visitors from the EU. The same European Union.
All ticket holders will be required to have a negative covid-19 test or proof of full vaccination. It is not clear if the UK will ease restrictions, in most cases a ten-day quarantine requirement, on visiting fans.
“I think that these objective considerations should make UEFA look very carefully at the semi-finals and the final situation,” Schinas said.
