Champions League final moved to Portugal, allowing Chelsea and Manchester City fans to attend the game
Manchester City and Chelsea are set to go head-to-head in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final on 29 May.
Ahead of the biggest club tie in world football, UEFA have moved the final to FC Porto's home stadium, the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal. The final was originally scheduled to take place at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
This is the second straight year that Portugal have hosted a Champions League final. Last season's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich took place in the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.
The decision to move the final to Porto will also allow Manchester City and Chelsea fans into the stadium for the first time in Europe this season.
Chelsea and Manchester City will be allowed 12,000 fans inside the stadium
Collectively, 12,000 fans will be allowed to travel from England to Portugal to witness the Champions League final.
This means that both Chelsea and Manchester City will be allowed to bring 6,000 fans each to Porto as lockdown restrictions begin to ease across Europe. UEFA's official statement read:
"The Portuguese authorities and the FPF stepped in and worked quickly and seamlessly with UEFA to offer a fitting venue for the final. As Portugal is a green list destination for England, fans and players attending the final will not have to quarantine on their return home."
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin understands the importance of fans in the game, particularly for a club like Manchester City, who have reached their first-ever European final.
"Fans have had to suffer more than twelve months without the ability to see their teams live and reaching a Champions League final is the pinnacle of club football. To deprive those supporters of a chance to see the match in person was not an option and I am delighted that this compromise has been found," said Ceferin.
The UEFA president is hoping that the final between Chelsea and Manchester City will bring some joy to fans after a tough few months.
"I hope the final will be a symbol of hope at the re-emergence of Europe from a difficult period. I hope the fans who travel to the game will once again be able to lend their voices to showcase this final as the best in club football," said Ceferin.
The game between Chelsea and Manchester City is the third time the Champions League final will be contested between two English teams. It first happened in 2008 when Manchester United faced Chelsea in the final in Moscow. It was also an all- English final in 2019 when Liverpool faced Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.