Why the Champions League final should have been held at Wembley
Potential locations for the 2021 Champions League final have changed twice this season. Originally, the final was scheduled to take place at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. But it was then moved to the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal.
The original destination for the final was scrapped when Man City and Chelsea were confirmed as the Champions League finalists. It was still possible to play the final behind closed doors in Turkey, but fans would not have attended as the country was placed on the UK’s coronavirus travel red list after a rise in COVID-19 cases.
As a result, the UK government recently discussed with UEFA about hosting the all-English final at Wembley in London. But these plans were eventually scrapped, and the final was confirmed in Porto two weeks ago.
Issues of Travel
Since Porto was confirmed as the destination for the Champions League final, concerns over foreign travel and cost have been an issue for fans. A short notice change of venue has outpriced many Man City and Chelsea supporters from travelling to Portugal to watch the match, either in the stadium or in the designated fan zones. Only around 6,000 fan tickets were allocated to each club.
In response to rising flight and hotel costs in Porto, City have offered fans a travel package to get to the match on May 29th. However, this was only available for a select group of fans who met specific criteria, while Chelsea offered no similar offers for their fans. Groups of supporters have also returned their tickets to the final this week. An estimated 800 Chelsea fans refusing to take their tickets due to inflated prices that include travel packages to and from the match.
Also, for players and backroom staff of both clubs, there has been short notice to arrange travel and accommodation ahead of the final, with the announcement made on May 13th, just two weeks before the match.
However, despite issues for fans and clubs relating to cost and travel, Poro was chosen as a suitable venue for broadcasters and chosen sponsors to access the cup final.
Wembley’s Cup Final Success
Once Chelsea and Man City were confirmed as the finalists of the 2021 Champions League venue, Wembley seemed the most viable option.
England’s national stadium would be more accessible for both sets of fans and any issues of costs, and fears over safety when travelling would have lessened by moving the final to London.
Both Chelsea and Leicester featured in the FA Cup final at Wembley earlier in May, where 21,000 fans entered the stadium to watch the match. This pilot event, which monitored the safe return of fans to sporting venues across the UK, showed that Wembley would be ready to host a major football final between two English clubs whilst also allowing fans to return safely to the stadium.
The move seemed to Wembley seemed possible, and the only potential barrier was the Champions League final clash with the Championship playoff final, also taking place on May 29. But the English Football League was open to change the dates of these fixtures to allow the City vs Chelsea final to take place at Wembley.
Wembley has also hosted Champions League finals before, with the most recent fixture in 2013 between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The stadium has UEFA approved facilities, and moving the Champions League final to Wembley would have been the sensible options for fans and both teams.
On the plus side for English football fans, Wembley will be used as one of the host cities for this years 2020 Euros, along with 10 other host cities across Europe.
The iconic ground joins an impressive list of stadiums to host the delayed Euro tournament games, including Saint Petersburg Stadium, Football Arena Munich, Olimpico in Rome and the Johan Cruijff Arena in the Netherlands. The tournament kicks off in just over a weeks’ time and anticipation for England to do well at the tournament is at an all time high.
