UEFA announced on Tuesday that it is fully committed to organizing the finals of the Champions League in Lisbon in August despite the fact that several districts of the city are returning to confinement this Wednesday due to new outbreaks of coronavirus.
Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president, said he sees “no need for a plan B” after discussing the issue with Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa, although the body that governs European football acknowledges that organizing the tournament represents ” great challenges. ”
“During the meeting, all parties stressed that they are fully committed to working together collaboratively to hold a successful event in Lisbon,” UEFA said in a statement.
“The participants discussed the fact that this is an unprecedented tournament that presents great challenges, but reinforced their belief that the necessary conditions will be present in Portugal.”
Last Thursday, the Portuguese government said that people living in the affected areas of the capital (19 parishes not including central Lisbon) could leave home only to buy essential goods or to travel to and from work. The measure will be in effect from July 1 to 14 and will then be reviewed.
The final eight will start on August 12 and end on 23. “I shared a complete update on the situation of COVID-19 in our country and added that all measures are being taken to ensure that this tournament is held safely” Costa said. Ceferin said he is confident that “we will conclude the season positively in Lisbon, there is no need for a plan B.”
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Atlético, Atalanta and Leipzig have already qualified for this final to eight. The last four round of 16 second leg matches that have yet to be played and the other four participants will be Barcelona-Naples, Manchester City-Real Madrid, Bayern-Chelsea and Juventus-Lyon. They will be played on August 7 and 8, either in the originally scheduled stadiums or in Portugal.