In camera. As expected, the UEFA executive committee decided on Thursday that the final Champions League tournament to be held from 12 to 23 August in Lisbon (Portugal) will take place without spectators. “The matches organized by UEFA will be held behind closed doors until further notice. This includes all the remaining matches in the Champions League, the Europa League, the Women's Champions League and the Youth League, "said the European football governing body. It is only a half surprise.
In view of the health situation and the outbreaks of Covid-19 which reappear here and there in Europe, and in particular in the Portuguese capital, UEFA did not want to take any risks. The four quarter-finals (from August 12 to 15), the two semi-finals (August 18 and 19) and the final (August 23) scheduled in the two Lisbon stadiums, l'Estadio Da Luz and Estadio José Alvalade, will be held so in the presence of players, staffs, officials, broadcasters and a handful of journalists.
The European body is only following in the footsteps of the main national leagues which have decided to relaunch their respective competitions without the slightest spectator to avoid reactivating hotbeds of contamination.
Round of 16 return to home stadiums
Thus, among the major European championships, Germany, Italy, Spain, England and Portugal have played, or are still playing for the last four, behind closed doors. Only France stands out and will organize this Sunday with Le Havre - PSG in friendly, meetings with a gauge of 5,000 supporters. The two finals of the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue will follow the same pattern in a Stade de France which will open its doors to 5,000 elected officials.
On the other hand, for the sake of consistency and fairness, the European body also announced that the knockout stages of the Champions League scheduled for August 7 and 8 will also be behind closed doors and will take place in the home team stadiums.
The option, for a time mentioned by UEFA to play these four games in Lisbon, Porto and Guimaraes, was ultimately not retained. Olympique Lyonnais will therefore travel to Juventus Stadium in Turin to try to win their qualification for the quarter-finals after their victory (1-0) in the first leg.