Covid complications could force clubs in the Champions League to play their home game at the away team’s venue, i can disclose.
Under special rules introduced by Uefa on Tuesday, the home team must ensure their government provides exemptions so there are no restrictions for visiting opponents.
If they are unable to do so, the home club will forfeit the game if they do not arrange to stage the fixture in a neutral venue free from Covid restrictions or agree to a venue reversal.
In the case of a venue reversal, Uefa hopes that clubs would agree to switch the corresponding fixture at a later date if exemptions were able to be secured, but it remains the case that in this season’s Champions League both legs of a knockout tie or two games between clubs in the group stage could be held at one club’s stadium.
The special Uefa annex states: “In all cases, the clubs may agree – subject to UEFA’s approval – on a venue reversal or on a neutral venue (within the territory of a UEFA member association), provided that no restrictions apply and no city or stadium clash is caused with other UEFA fixtures.”
Where this has the potential to cause significant problems in the coming months is that some clubs, particularly in the Premier League, are struggling to convince their players to get jabbed.
Under current UK government rules, arrivals from amber list countries who are not fully vaccinated must quarantine for 10 days. Those who are fully vaccinated avoid quarantine. Italy, Spain and France are on the amber list. Currently in Italy, fully vaccinated arrivals do not have to quarantine but the unvaccinated face five days of quarantine.
English football has already suffered at the hands of the UK Government’s unwillingness to grant footballers special exemptions with a number of Premier League players unable to represent their country over the coming days due to the requirement to quarantine on their return.
Manchester City are in a group with French side Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool face Spain’s Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, in Italy. Manchester United are in a group with Villarreal, in Spain, and Italy’s Atalanta. Chelsea are also in a group with Italian side Juventus.
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