GREEN LIGHT FOR FANS

European Football Championship postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic will be held on June 11-July 11, 2021. Thanks to the 60th anniversary of the continental championship, UEFA decided to hold the tournament in 12 cities. However, the coronavirus pandemic can once again challenge the continent's largest football festival.

The 12-cities plan and the problem

UEFA plans to organize matches in Baku, St. Petersburg, Munich, Rome, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Bilbao, Glasgow, Budapest, Dublin and London.

According to the schedule, the largest arena in Azerbaijan, the Baku Olympic Stadium, is to host the matches of Group A - Switzerland-Wales, Turkey-Wales and Turkey-Switzerland, as well as one game of the quarterfinals.

The biggest problem is the bans on flights in many European countries. But this is not the important reason for UEFA. After all, the participating teams fly on special charter flights. The closed airspace is an obstacle only for foreign fans. Therefore, it is expected that only local fans will follow the Euro 2020 matches in the stadiums.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has already confirmed the holding of Euro 2020 matches with the participation of fans. In his interview with Sky Sports, he announced the main requirement for the host cities. He stated that there are several scenarios for organizing the competition: “According to the ideal scenario, we will hold the championship in 12 cities. We have already agreed the terms on nine cities. There are some problems with three cities, which we will discuss later. In principle, we want to hold the tournament in 12 cities, but if it doesn't work out, we are ready to hold it in ten, nine, and eight cities. The only condition is none of the Euro 2020 matches should be held with empty stadiums. Each city is obliged to provide the access of fans to stadiums."

Mr. Čeferin denied reports about the intention of his organisation to deprive any of the 12 cities of the right to host the matches. He stated that the last deadline for cities to make decisions on fans at stadiums is April 7th. And on April 20 the final decision will be made.

Early birds

According to the UEFA President, the participating countries must permit the access of fans to the stadiums. Otherwise, they may be deprived of the right to host the matches. Great Britain was the first country to respond to this requirement by announcing its readiness to host all the games of the European Championship on its territory. According to Sunday Times, Britons even sent a special offer to UEFA. There is a plan to ensure the return of English fans to the stadiums by the end of May.

British authorities announced this opportunity much earlier than other European countries. London's Wembley Stadium is scheduled to host the semi-finals and the final stage of the competition on July 11. Sources in the government announced their readiness to organize more games, if necessary.

Following the UK, Russia supported the admission of fans to the stadiums in its appeal to UEFA. Russia also announced that it could host all the matches of Euro 2020 in the event of a possible force majeure.

Three options

UEFA offers three options to solve the situation with the fans. With the airspace open, the countries create necessary conditions for the arrival of some of the fans to the cities hosting the matches. If the airspace remains closed, only local fans are admitted to the stadiums. It is expected that in this case the stadiums can receive the number of fans that satisfies 30-50% of their total capacity.

At the same time, UEFA assumes that fans may be required to have a COVID-19 passport or anti-coronavirus certificates. UEFA Director General responsible for the Russian part of the tournament, Aleksey Sorokin, said that UEFA is considering all possible options: “This is a difficult moment. There are many ethical issues. We need to start with the base number of fans allowed. And when each city agrees with UEFA on the maximum number of fans, it will be possible to make some decisions. We are ready. It is possible to check vaccination passports. But we do not know how they will look in other countries. Maybe there will be a check of the antibody certificate. The most important thing for us is to agree on the maximum number and admission of foreign fans.”

UEFA has previously made a special statement regarding the ticket holders. It states that UEFA will refund fans the full price of tickets should the number of seats in stadiums is reduced or the stands are completely isolated. Ticket holders must comply with the sanitary measures adopted at the stadiums, as well as the norms established by the host country.

The decision on the format for admitting fans to stadiums will be announced by UEFA on 7 April. The host cities must announce their final decision by this date.

What is Baku's reaction?

To clarify the issue, we contacted the administration of the Baku Olympic Stadium. They announced that the arena is fully prepared for the European Championship. As for the question with the fans, this is not in the competence of the stadium.

The Baku Organizing Committee of Euro 2020 also announced its full readiness for the prestigious competition. They emphasized the need to coordinate some organizational issues with UEFA and the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan. At the moment, the lockdown period in Azerbaijan has been extended until June 1. It is unknown what restrictions will remain in effect during Euro 2020.

Incidentally, the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan will take place in Baku in June. The competition was confirmed to be held without fans and with a limited number of journalists. As an exception, it is possible to permit the presence of fans during the matches of UEFA Championship. This is the condition of UEFA.