The end of the ultimatum is approaching.
A few hours before the end of the deadline given by UEFA to the host cities of the next Euro to present scenarios for welcoming the public, things are becoming clearer.
And they seem to go in the right direction, that of a return of the spectators.
Even if the health situation continues to be worrying in the four corners of Europe - and in particular in France, which has been plunged since this weekend into a sort of third confinement - the return of the public to the stadiums is becoming increasingly important. thickness.
This Tuesday, the day before the deadline, the Italian government has indeed given the green light for the public presence in Rome for the next Euro 2021, scheduled from June 11 to July 11.
A competition postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
đ # EURO2020 is in 100 days!
đ€ Which matches are you excited for?
pic.twitter.com/LP9kQyTmJg
- UEFA EURO 2020 (@ EURO2020) March 3, 2021
The presence of tifosi at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which is due to host four matches, including the opening one on June 11 and a quarter-final, however still remains conditional on the establishment of a protocol by the technical and scientific committee (CTS ) which advises the government.
20,000 spectators expected?
This decision "is an excellent result which is good for the country, not only for football", greeted the president of the Italian Federation Gabriele Gravina in a press release.
"In such a complex moment, the desire to see the Italian presence at this great event confirmed", adds the manager.
Concretely, according to Mr. Gravina, the Italian Minister of Health Roberto Speranza "instructed the CTS to identify the best solutions to allow the presence of the public in June".
In this letter, the minister asks the experts to define solutions that could allow âa form of public participation compatible with the epidemiological contextâ.
The president of the Federation pleads for an opening to 30% of the Stadio Olimpico, that is to say some 20,000 spectators.
"It would be a great disappointment not to play the Euro in Rome", recently estimated the Italian coach Roberto Mancini, while the Nazionale must play its three matches of the first round at the Olimpico (Turkey opening, then Switzerland and Wales).
Munich also awaits the public
The trend is also optimism for other host countries.
According to the director of the continental tournament Martin Kallen, who spoke on Danish television TV3 Sport, "all (twelve) cities have already reacted positively".
The city of Munich, which is due to host three matches from the German squad, against France (June 15), Portugal (June 19) and Hungary (June 23), and a quarter-final, also provided on Tuesday. a scenario providing for the presence of spectators.
Based on the feedback from the host cities, UEFA should soon give its final opinion on the organization of this tournament in an unprecedented format - imagined by Michel Platini to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the first edition.
Matches are thus planned in twelve cities: in Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, Munich, Rome and Saint Petersburg, with the semi-finals and final in London.
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In March, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin made it clear that he did not want Euro matches "in front of empty stands".