England fans’ Euro travel nightmare: Supporters set to miss out if the Three Lions reach the quarter-finals with a forced five-day quarantine in Rome… and they’ll have to isolate for the home semis too!
- Fans face tough choices about which games to attend and which to miss
- England’s victory over the Czech Republic secured top spot in Group D
- Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions will play all remaining matches — aside from a quarter-final in Rome — on home soil
- However, should England fans wish to travel to Rome, they would have to miss the last 16 clash at Wembley as a result of self-isolation rules in Italy
- Football Supporters’ Europe expect few fans to travel to overseas games
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
England will only have to play one match away from Wembley should they progress to the final of the tournament.
Tuesday night’s victory over the Czech Republic secured top spot in Group D and although their opposition may be stronger, the path to glory will see them play all remaining matches — aside from a quarter-final in Rome — on home soil.
It also means that Gareth Southgate’s men will be able to rely on huge support, with restrictions making trips abroad for supporters close to impossible.
The dream of watching England in EVERY game en route to the final of Euro 2020 is doomed
England have topped Group D and will play all games, except a quarter-final, at Wembley
However, should England fans wish to travel to Rome, they would have to miss the last 16 clash at Wembley as the Italian government requires visitors from the UK to self-isolate for five days on arrival — and there are only four days between the matches.
Should the Three Lions be successful, the fans would then have to miss the semi-final after self-isolating upon their return.
‘Planning travel is seriously complicated,’ admitted Matt Willis, Euro 2020 project manager at Football Supporters Europe, where he manages Fan Embassies in the participating countries. ‘We don’t expect many England fans will go to Copenhagen or Rome as result of quarantine and then having to miss the quarter final or semi-final.’
On Tuesday, the Government confirmed that the capacity at Wembley will be raised to more than 60,000 for the semi-finals and final of the competition following an agreement with UEFA amid concerns the matches may have been shifted to Budapest.
The final details of the deal are being worked on but it is expected that around 2,000 VIPs will be permitted to enter the country without the need to quarantine.
As reported by Sportsmail, an arrangement which would allow fans of an overseas nation to enter the UK for 24 hours is also being explored.
The increase will also see the largest crowds assembled for a sporting event in the UK in more than 15 months.
‘It is great news that so many fans will be able to watch the final three matches of Euro 2020 at Wembley,’ said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
The Government has postponed lifting all restrictions until July 19 but the games at Wembley, along with other sporting events, are being allowed extra crowd capacity under its Events Research Programme.
‘This tournament has been a beacon of hope to reassure people that we are returning to a more normal way of life and this is a further step along that road,’ added Ceferin.
‘I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the UK Government for their hard work in finalising these arrangements with us, to make the tournament final stages a great success in Wembley.’
Gareth Southgate’s England topped the group after beating Czech Republic on Tuesday
Stadio Olimpico in Rome would be England’s quarter-final destination after winning Group D
Overseas fans travelling to London face similar challenges, at least for the two round of 16 matches due to take place at Wembley on June 26 and June 29.
‘As it is now, we will have very few travelling fans coming in to the UK,’ said Willis. ‘We are looking at very, very few travelling fans. The absolute majority are residents here in the UK.’
Italian fans, whose country booked their place in the round of 16 on June 26 at Wembley with victory over Wales on Sunday, would have to have left Italy yesterday to obtain early release from quarantine in the UK to attend the game.
The fans of the sides that secure their places for the June 29 fixture on Wednesday would have to fly to London on Thursday to have any chance of satisfying quarantine arrangements.
However, Italian nationals who live in the UK are expected to take up Italy’s ticket allocation, but that will probably not be the case for all participating nations.
According to Football Supporters Europe, Croatia and the Czech Republic have only mustered a few hundred fans for their group matches at Wembley and Hampden Park, so far.