UEFA urged to put fans first and move Champions League final to Wembley

Tap above for video report by Antoine Allen

UEFA has been urged to favour fans and move the all-English Champions League final to Wembley.

Chelsea and Manchester City had been due to play in Istanbul on May 29 but the British Government’s decision last week to place Turkey on its high-risk ‘red list’ for international travel has forced UEFA to consider other options.

It held talks with Government officials on Monday but no agreement was reached, with Portugal now emerging as an alternative.

It is understood a sticking point for the Government was UEFA seeking quarantine exemptions for sponsors, VIPs and broadcasters coming into the UK.

Steve Brine who sits on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, urged UEFA to put the interests of fans first.

“My understanding is (the disagreement) is not to do with having fans because we’re doing that with various test events,” he told talkSPORT.

“It’s to do with the entourage of officials that UEFA insists comes along to the game. And you know what? We’ve all had to make sacrifices in the last year and we’ve missed things far more important than a game of football.

“So if the game goes ahead with the fans, and without some of the officials with their prawn sandwiches, well then, for a league (UEFA) that is interested in primarily the fans, that shouldn’t be a big ask should it?”