Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s European Championship is impacted. During this year of pandemic, a house full stadium doesn’t mean a full stadium.
The tournament would begin on Friday in Rome, all 11 host cities, from St. Petersburg to Glasgow and Bucharest to Sevilla have agreed to allow some fans in the stadiums during the football match. The number of fans allowed in the stadiums would be affected due to the global pandemic.
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It is expected that Budapest, Baku and St Petersburg would allow the strength of fans between 50-100 per cent. That means, in Hungary around 68,000 fans would be allowed, which is the full capacity of Puskas Arena Stadium. In Hungary, there could be matches involving the host nation taking on both Christiano Ronaldo and European Champion Portugal and Kylian Mbappe and World Cup Champion France.
The football match between both, France and Portugal is scheduled for June 23, in the city. The match would be possible with advancement to the round of 16 on the line.
Cities like – Baku and St Petersburg want their stadiums half full. Most other stadiums are expected to allow as low as 25 percent of capacity and some others are expected to go possibly as high as 45 percent of capacity.
London would be hosting most matches of the tournament – eight matches. It is expected that it would allow 25 per cent of capacity at Wembley Stadium. The allowed percentage may be increased during the semi-final matches and final match.
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Foreign fans are banned to enjoy the matches in the stadium. UEFA has uploaded a dedicated page on the tournament’s website related to the information about Covid protocols.
Martin Kallen, the CEO of UEFA events said, “The first, second, and third priority at the tournament is always fan safety.”
He added, “It’s important for all that we have spectators back, as it represents a step towards normality for all of us in the society. But, with that, we ask that supporters are sensible and plan ahead. Come on time, don’t rush to the stadium. Wear a mask. Keep a distance from others when possible and make safety a priority in all that you do.”
He has also whole-heartedly welcomed the fans in the stadium. He said, “Football without fans is not the same and it’s very important to have them back. So, I will be very, very happy to see supporters throughout the tournament and we can feel satisfied that we managed to make this happen.”