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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.
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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.

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416
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