UK government having 'delicate negotiations' to move UCL final to England
May 09, 2021
London [UK], May 9 : Conservative Party MP Michael Gove on Sunday said that the UK government is having delicate negotiations in order to move the Champions League final from Istanbul to England.
Manchester City and Chelsea will be squaring off in the finals of the Champions League on May 29 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. However, the English fans will miss out on attending the game as Turkey has been added to England's coronavirus red list for travel.
"My son is a Chelsea fan and he would dearly love to see the game played in the UK. But there are delicate negotiations that are going on at the moment," Gove told Sky News, as reported by Goal.com
"My friend, my colleague the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, is talking to people about this at the moment and so I don't want to cut across that, but I'm sure that fans in the UK would dearly love to see the final played here in the UK," he added.
UK transport secretary Grant Shapps has already confirmed that the UEFA will be taking the final decision on where the 2020-21 Champions League final will be held.
"The UK has a successful track record of hosting matches with spectators so we are well placed to do it," Shapps had said last week.
"So we are very open to it, but it is actually in the end a decision for UEFA to make. But given it is two English clubs in the final, we look forward to hearing what they have to say," he added.
As per a report on Goal.com, Wembley Stadium in London has emerged as the likely venue for the Champions League final to be hosted.
