SM
Liverpool vs. Villa: 22 hrs 1 min
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

EFL playoffs 'could be rearranged for Wembley to host CL final'

:Headline: EFL playoffs 'could be rearranged for Wembley to host CL final':
Manchester City's clash with Chelsea is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 29 in Istanbul.
Sports Mole

The three EFL play-off finals could be rearranged to allow the all-English Champions League final to be staged at Wembley, the PA news agency understands.

Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 29 in Istanbul.

But, after the Government announced Turkey had been added to the ‘red list’ of high-risk countries on Friday, calls for a change of venue for the all-Premier League affair have intensified.

UK citizens returning from ‘red list’ countries are required to quarantine at a Government-approved hotel for 10 days.

Wembley is due to host the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on May 29, with the League One and League Two equivalents arranged for the following two days.

It is understood the EFL would consider all options – including altering the arrangements for those fixtures to accommodate the Champions League final – should they be contacted by UEFA.

That could mean the matches being played on different dates, or at alternative venues.

There has so far been no approach from UEFA and the governing body is continuing with preparations for the Champions League final to be played at the Ataturk Stadium as planned.

Grant Shapps confirmed the Football Association has approached UEFA over whether the match could be moved to England (Tolga Akmen/PA)

Turkey is currently in lockdown amid an alarming surge in coronavirus cases.

Speaking on Friday, transport secretary Grant Shapps said the British Government was “very open to hosting the final” and that the Football Association was in discussions with UEFA.

He also told fans not to travel to Istanbul.

The FA declined to comment on the situation when approached on Saturday morning, while UEFA’s stance had not changed.

Manchester City defeated Paris St Germain to reach the final (Martin Rickett/PA)

“I’m afraid we are having to put Turkey on the red list. This will have a number of ramifications. First of all, it does mean with the regards to the Champions League, fans should not travel to Turkey,” Shapps told Friday’s press conference.

“The FA are in discussions with UEFA on this. We are very open to hosting the final but it is ultimately a decision for UEFA.

“Red countries are those which should not be visited except in the most extreme of circumstances.”

City and Chelsea booked their places in the showpiece event earlier this week after overcoming Paris St Germain and Real Madrid respectively.

Chelsea fans, who celebrated outside Stamford Bridge after victory over Real Madrid, have been told not to travel to Turkey (Steve Parsons/PA)

Reports on Thursday claimed Aston Villa had offered to host the match. PA understands that, while the West Midlands club would be happy for Villa Park to be considered for the final should it be moved, they acknowledge that UEFA has said the venue is not changing.

PA also understands Tottenham have no plans to make their stadium available for the game.

Two days after the Champions League final, Northern Ireland are scheduled to play a friendly in Turkey.

PA understands the Irish FA is monitoring the situation and liaising with UEFA.

body check tags ::

amp_article__446545 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-05-08 15:25:31:
html db last update - 2021-05-08 15:25:31 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Grant Shapps

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Grant Shapps Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
"I agree" - Van Nistelrooy makes striker admission amid Hojlund, Zirkzee struggles
Will Chelsea or Arsenal win five-goal spectacular? Premier League GW11 predictions
Misfiring Gunners: Arsenal at risk of worst run of away form since pre-Wenger days

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Key player is available but four miss out for Real Madrid vs. Osasuna

1

KP

Three-horse race? Arsenal 'considering January bid' for £66m wonderkid

2

TR

Preview: Nice vs. Lille - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

3

PN

Preview: FC Twente vs. Ajax - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PF

Team News: Brighton vs. Man City injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

5

TN

Preview: Chelsea vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

6

PC

Preview: Nott'm Forest vs. Newcastle - prediction, team news, lineups

7

PN

Double reunion in doubt? Arteta gives Rice, Havertz injury updates before Chelsea

8

DR

Preview: Estrela Amadora vs. Nacional - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PE

Preview: Spurs vs. Ipswich - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PS


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .