UEFA have confirmed this season’s Champions League final between Chelsea and Man City WILL take place in Istanbul, despite coronavirus concerns in Turkey.
However, former Blues manager Glenn Hoddle insists it’s the wrong decision that goes against common sense, saying it would be in the interest of player and fan safety to host the showpiece match at Wembley Stadium.
There have been calls for ‘common sense to prevail’ and move the richest game in football away from Turkey amid their struggles with COVID-19.
The country is currently under a 17-day lockdown after a surge in coronavirus cases, and while there are no travel restrictions in place between the UK and Turkey, anyone returning to British shores would be subject to quarantine rules.
After Chelsea beat Real Madrid on Wednesday to book their place against Manchester City, to make it an all-English final, there have been suggestions for UEFA to move to game to Wembley Stadium.
It would certainly make more sense, says Hoddle, rather than ship both teams and sets of fans to a COVID hotspot – with Chelsea and City set to get 4,000 tickets each.
But UEFA confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the game will go ahead in Istanbul, insisting the Turkish lockdown will have no impact on the final taking place as planned.
“The UEFA Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on May 29 with a limited number of spectators and we are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force until May 17 should not have any impact on the match,” a UEFA statement read.
“UEFA continues to work closely with the Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely.
“Detailed information regarding the capacity for the match, travel and ticketing details will be communicated publicly by the end of the week.”
An all-English final at the Home of Football would make perfect sense, only Wembley has already committed to hosting the Championship play-off final on the same date – May 29.
Hoddle, though, insists it would be in the best interest of everyone’s safety to stage the game somewhere else.
“I think it makes absolute common sense in a pandemic, it would certainly be safer for everyone,” the Tottenham great told the talkSPORT Breakfast.
“Whether they give the final to Istanbul next year, that’s an idea. Maybe even if the game is held at Wembley, the finances could still go to Istanbul anyway…
“They’ve got to sort out Istanbul and Turkey, they can’t just leave them hanging there.
“But I think in this pandemic, it has to be done purely for safety reasons.
“Every government in the world is telling everyone to stay safe, about social distancing and wearing masks… well, there are sporting events that have to be protected, too.
“I think it makes common sense [to move the match to Wembley] and if it’s going to save people’s lives, and that’s how important it is, then they have to think about it.”
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