The Covid-19 has not finished tormenting this Euro.
Last point of tension, and not the least important: the final of the competition, scheduled for London on July 11.
Except that, according to the Times, UEFA would be ready to relocate the match to Budapest if the British authorities do not exempt 2,500 officials and VIPs from quarantine.
At the same time, the body wants Boris Johnson's government to also accept the presence on its soil of foreign supporters from the round of 16.
Explanations.
What is the problem ?
Who says Euro in eleven countries, also says eleven health policies to manage for the travel of supporters.
England, which hosts matches in London, classifies countries into three categories to access its territory.
Those in green, whose newcomers must be satisfied with a negative PCR test to set foot on the island.
This concerns Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Israel or the Pacific Islands, but none of the nations involved in the competition, except of course the Scots and Welsh, who can circulate as they see fit.
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Almost all of the other participants are classified in "orange", a statute which obliges the foreign visitor to respect a quarantine of ten days in the place of his choice before being able to circulate freely. “People will not be allowed to attend matches which take place within the first ten days of arriving in England, even if they hold a ticket. If it is suspected that a person intends to do so, they may be refused entry upon arrival at the border, ”UEFA writes on its travel advice site. Turkey, placed on the “red” list, sees its travelers required to carry out this isolation in hotels provided for this purpose.
Problem, England must host two round of 16, as well as the semi-finals and the final.
And UEFA takes a dim view of the prospect of an audience almost exclusively made up of locals.
Especially since the British authorities increase their tonnage from the round of 16, to accommodate at least 40,000 people at Wembley, against 22,000 today.
What are the possible avenues?
Contacted by Le Parisien, UEFA clearly explains that it wants to create a sanitary corridor for supporters of the continent for knockout matches, "in particular for the semi-finals and the final", according to its director Martin Kallen. In short: give them an exemption from quarantine. Hungary, Russia and Azerbaijan have already adopted similar arrangements, Budapest and St. Petersburg for the whole competition and Baku for its quarter-final.
"We are in discussions with local authorities to allow supporters of committed teams to attend matches, using a strict test and bubble system which would imply that their stay in the UK lasts less than 24 hours and that their travel be limited to transport and approved places ”, explains this Friday the instance to the Parisian.
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At the same time, the Times specifies that UEFA also wishes to have 2,500 officials and VIPs cross the Channel to attend the final.
Asked on this point, the body did not comment on the assertions of the British daily.
Why is it getting stuck?
Because the health climate is tightening in the United Kingdom. On Monday, the authorities decided to put their deconfinement on hold, postponing for four weeks, in this case to July 19, the lifting of the last restrictions. "We are very concerned about the Delta variant
(Editor's note: the so-called 'Indian' variant)
which is spreading faster than expected in the February roadmap," explains Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Politically, the symbol would be tricky, as Britons are limited in their choice of summer vacation spots due to the low number of countries on the green list.
"We are trying to make difficult decisions to limit the transmission of the virus and at the same time allow the classic operations of an event like the Euro to take place," the minister in charge of the police explained at the Sky News microphone, Malthouse Kit.
"It's not fair at all," Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey retorted on the 24-hour news channel.
It shows how this Conservative government works: there is one rule for friends and another for the rest of us.
"
Is there really a plan B?
"We understand the pressures facing the government and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory outcome for our discussions on this subject," said UEFA. From there to abandon Wembley for Budapest and its Puskas Arena, the only one of the competition to be fully filled? "There is always an emergency plan, but we are confident in the fact that this last week
(Editor's note: with the semi-finals)
will take place in London", slips the instance.
“UEFA is putting pressure to try to bend the British authorities, explains to the Parisian a close to the file. But diplomatically, it would be complicated to move matches of such importance. UEFA has a recent and threatening advantage in its negotiations. In May, she withdrew from Istanbul the organization of the 100% English Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea. After considering relocating it to London, she assigned her organization to Porto after talks with British authorities failed.