Chelsea and Manchester City fans are facing travel problems after the Champions League final between the two clubs on 29 May was moved to Porto.
Uefa announced earlier this week that the showpiece, which was originally set to take place in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium, will be hosted by Portugal for the second season running after Turkey was added to the UK’s travel red list.
While 6,000 fans from each team will be able to attend, in addition to Uefa delegates and sponsors, many are already facing an uphill battle to get there.
On Friday, the Portuguese government announced that domestic lockdown restrictions would be extended in the country.
The country’s cabinet affairs minister, Mariana Vieira da Silva, said that fans attending the final would be expected to fly in and out of Portugal on the same day on charter flights organised through official club channels. City will be offering fans a package from Manchester to Porto for the game, which kicks off at 8pm UK time.
That confirmation was only given several hours after the initial decision to stage the match in Porto, leaving a window open for many fans to have already booked their flights and accommodation. On Friday, the Portuguese tourism authorities then added that British tourists would be welcomed back from Monday 17 May – although it is not clear if that supersedes their statements regarding the final.
Meanwhile, Chelsea fan Sam Heritage told i he was unsure whether he would now be able to go to the final at all having already booked non-charter flights. “We had booked flights and were minutes away from booking accommodation. Luckily we saw the announcement minutes before so held off booking accommodation.
“When we booked the flights to arrive to Porto there was nothing saying that we had to arrive on the day of the match in order to go. I still hope to go but it is looking increasingly unlikely. As far as I’m aware there has been no communication from the club. The whole thing is a complete farce.”
Fiona Macrae, head of awareness initiative Travel Insurance Explained, explained to i that whether supporters will be covered for changes in circumstance – for example, the game being postponed or moved once they have booked flights – depends on the type of insurance they have taken out.
“Anyone who travels specifically for an event should always check that they have cover for events or festivals in their policy wording,” Macrae said. “That way, should the event no longer be able to go ahead, and the traveller not be able to recover their costs back from the organiser, they can submit a claim for any unused flight, accommodation, or ticket costs.
“Some travel insurance providers require you to purchase a policy extension to be covered for this type of scenario. The exact policy extension will vary from provider to provider, but this type of cover will typically be found in an “Events and Festivals” policy extension or similar.
“From a travel insurance perspective, there is no cover for price hikes or covering the price difference between holiday bookings.”
Man City released a statement on Friday insisting they were liaising with the relevant authorities in an effort to clear up the confusion, but offered no guarantees.
“We are very mindful that our supporters have a number of outstanding questions relating to the travel arrangements for the Champions League final and we are cognisant that answering these questions swiftly is all the more pressing given the tight timeframes in place,” the club said.
“We will provide clarity to our supporters as soon as we are able to and we thank supporters for their patience.”
Fans in Porto are, under the original Portuguese plans, set to be kept in a “bubble” in specified fan zones, before being transported to the stadium and finally, back to the airport.
Chelsea qualified by beating Real Madrid 3-1 over two legs in the semi-finals, with City reaching the final for the first time in their history after beating Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate.
In a statement, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said he was “delighted” that the match had been moved to Portugal.
“Fans have had to suffer more than 12 months without the ability to see their teams live and reaching a Champions League final is the pinnacle of club football,” he said.
“After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don’t have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season.”
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3eOaSyC
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