Odyssey to Wembley

An hour queue awaits anyone who lands at Heathrow these days. And that's the least of it. Restrictions in the UK for countries not on the government's green list make it impossible to travel to London for the semi-finals and the final of the European Championship. The culmination of the tournament will not have a massive presence of rival fans. The festival of European football will be… the festival of English football.

In fact, England's three opponents for the title (Spain, Italy and Denmark) are on the amber list, so a ten-day quarantine is necessary upon entry to the country. Only citizens of those countries residing in the UK will have the privilege of attending Wembley. Also, and here is the controversy, the 2,500 members classified as VIP by UEFA and who have an exemption letter. This measure had to be accepted by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, at the risk that the UEFA take away the organization of the Final Four and give it to Budapest, which offered the opposite: absolute freedom and 100% capacity.

Journalists, as workers, also have the quarantine exemption letter. This document, signed by the English Federation, exempts them from staying in the hotel when covering Eurocup matters. A very broad argument. There are other very diverse companies that have also obtained this permit, from the Intercontinental hotel chain to the Eurotunnel workers.

Even so, the exemption letter is just one of the many red tape that you have to go through to enter the UK. Of course, a PCR is requested at origin 72 hours in advance (This has also been a general rule in the rest of the venues) and fill out a form. It is even accepted that someone on behalf of the Government can get in touch and it is threatened that the police will appear at the place of stay in the country to verify that it is being complied with. Citizens on the red list must remain in quarantine time in hotels that have been designated for this cause. What's more, If you do not have an exemption letter, you need to travel with two tests purchased at the origin as well and which must be carried out on days 2 and 8 of the time of stay in the United Kingdom. This has generated great controversy, as it is a business in favor of English clinics (prices range from 80 to 350 euros), where the Government recommends purchasing them. Without the receipt of these two tests, you cannot cross the border either.

And it is so, in a context that limits any presence of foreign fans at Wembley, as the last week of the Eurocup unfolds. At the same time, it serves for the United Kingdom to shield itself as never before did a European Championship venue. There will be 60,000 fans at Wembley (75% of the capacity), but they will be almost entirely English. A factor that plays in favor of the local team …