THE Champions League is set to be concluded with a mini-tournament in Portugal in August.
Uefa are desperate to complete their premier competition amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Champions League could be set for an unorthodox finish in Portugal
According to German outlet Bild, matches from the quarter-finals onwards could be switched to Portugal’s capital Lisbon.
They suggest the Portuguese city – which hosted the 2014 final between city rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – is the likely host after being backed by the Portuguese FA.
Portugal has been among the European nations least affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, so could even allow fans into the stadium by August.
Lisbon was chosen because it has several modern stadiums that are suitable to host a tournament, having staged Euro 2004.
The city has both the Estadio Da Luz – home of Benfica – and the Estadio Jose Alvalade – where Sporting Lisbon play their home games.
The move falls in line with Uefa’s political demands and with no Portuguese sides left in the competition, it would not be seen to give an unfair advantage to any team.
Frankfurt appears to be the second favourite after the German association proposed it be used to finish the tournament.
But with RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich still in the running for the continent’s top prize, Uefa bosses fear a German city would effectively give them home advantage.
Russian footballing authorities also suggested the use of Moscow.
But it is reported Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin would not consider the country due to its high number of virus cases.
A location for the revised end to the tournament will be officially announced on June 17 at a Uefa meeting.
The European champions were initially set to be crowned in Istanbul on May 30 but Covid-19 brought world football to a halt in March.
It is claimed that Europe’s governing body and the Turkish city have been in talks regarding the situation.
A lack of travelling fans is likely to mean they are unable to cash in on the investment of hosting the showpiece final, allowing the unique finish to go ahead elsewhere.
Four Last 16 ties are still yet to have their second leg played but Atleti, Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta have all booked their spot in the quarters.
Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League in the last 16 after a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid at Anfield, just days before play was suspended.
Spurs are also out after losing to Leipzig and Chelsea face an uphill task after losing 3-0 to Bayern in the first leg of their tie at Stamford Bridge but Manchester City lead Madrid 2-1.
The Bundesliga restarted on May 16 and many of Europe’s top leagues are set to follow this month with LaLiga kicking off on June 11 before the Premier League finally gets underway on June 17.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
