Over 60,000 fans will finally see the final Euro matches at Wembley!

Happy news for all football fans: the semi-finals and final of the Euro will be watched by a three-quarters full Wembley Stadium after all. The European Football Union managed to negotiate an exemption despite the worsening coronary situation in the UK.

Difficult negotiations have been held between UEFA and the British government, who have managed to find an agreement on the number of spectators for the semi-final matches and the European Championship clash, which are scheduled to take place in London at the national stadium, Wembley.

In recent days, speculation has arisen about whether to move the final matches of the tournament to Hungary, where the maximum number of people can attend football. In the case of the Puskás Arena there, this would allow up to 67 000 fans to enter.

But in the end, a solution was found. Opening the gates of Wembley Stadium for the three matches in question to 75% of its capacity means that almost 65 000 people can be let in. This is already quite adequate considering the size of the matches in question.

“It is great that such a large number of people will be able to come to Wembley to watch the final of this year’s Euros,” praised UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

The exemption was negotiated despite the British government postponing the relaxation of all measures until 19 July because of the worsening epidemic situation. The matches have been included in the so-called Events Research Programme, which will allow further relaxation as far as cultural and sporting events in the Islands are concerned.

Now, in the core groups, Wembley’s capacity is reduced to just 22,500. For the two matches of the eight-finals, then, a sort of intermediate 50%, or 45,000 seats are expected to be vacated.

But despite allowing a much higher capacity, the debate about moving the semi-finals and final to another destination is far from quiet. The problem is quarantine rules and other anti-coronavirus restrictions on English soil. There is still talk of Budapest or Rome.

In the current circumstances, only people meeting a range of measures would be allowed into Wembley, including a negative coronavirus test, or a completed vaccination no later than 14 days before kick-off.

“While we continue to make progress in our journey out of the lockdown, keeping the public safe is our top priority,” explained UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. “We are working very closely with both UEFA and the Football Association (FA) to ensure that there is as little chance of contagion as possible at the football matches for which we have authorised increased capacity.”

“These should be memorable moments and stepping stones in our return to normality,” Dowden added.

Sources: BBC Sports, Sky Sports