UK allows 1,000 Italian fans to enter European Cup final

The United Kingdom allowed 1,000 Italian fans to enter the European Nations Cup final on Sunday the 11th. The Italian Football Association will distribute tickets costing 610 euros (3,784 Brazilian reals) to all fans who want to support Italy in making the selections for the European Championship.

The “lucky ones” will have to get in and out of foreign lands on Sunday, staying in a healthy, supervised bubble. In addition to facing a five-day quarantine upon their return to Italy, fans will not be able to contact the general public while they are in England.

While the British government eased restrictions and allowed the distribution of tickets with the help of UEFA, British fans were forced to give up their tickets for the duel against Ukraine, in the quarter-finals. That’s because the match took place in Rome, and the Italian authorities decided not to change the quarantine rules.

On the other hand, VIP guests can spend the entire week in London. In addition, they are allowed to travel by private transportation and stay in hotels designated by the government. The expectation is that, except when attending official Euro events, these distincts will remain isolated.

There is growing concern about the increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 disease in England. Despite this, thousands of people must gather around Wembley Stadium to witness one of the most memorable moments in the history of English football. The furthest the England team could reach in the European Championship was the semi-finals. This happened on two occasions: 1968 and 1996.

The English Football Association (FA, its English acronym) estimates that 67,000 spectators will be present at the decision, as happened in the semi-final between England and Denmark.

The race for tickets also draws attention. The options, however, are limited. National Societies receive 16% of tickets to be distributed to registered fans. As with the Danes, only Italians residing in the UK are entitled to it. Given that approximately 250,000 people are from this group, tickets are expected to sell out in a very short time.

Another way is to search for tickets on social media or constantly update the UEFA online portal. An account called “wembleytickets” was created on Twitter to prevent people from falling for scams and buying fake tickets.