CHELSEA and Manchester City fans WILL be allowed to travel to the Champions League final after Portugal confirmed Brits can travel to the nation from Monday.
Earlier this month, the Estadio do Dragao was handed the showpiece fixture after Istanbul was forced to withdraw due to coronavirus.
Ecstatic supporters quickly snapped up flights and tickets to the game after it was confirmed 6,000 fans from each club could attend the huge game.
However, on Thursday it was revealed fans would have to arrive in AND leave Porto on the same day with Portugal extending its a ‘state of calamity’ to May 30, with the final to be played a day earlier.
But the Portuguese government has now confirmed Brits have been given the green light to holiday in the country from Monday May 17 as long as they have returned a negative Covid test within 72 hours of their arrival.
Portugal was already on Britain’s ‘green list’ meaning UK travellers can go on holiday from Monday without having to quarantine when returning to the UK.
And the latest update will be a huge relief to fans who had voiced their frustration after shelling out hundreds of pounds on flights, accommodation and match tickets.
Restrictions will now be lifted allowing fans to make their way to the country and have the freedom to travel earlier or stay longer before returning home.
The threat level is not a full lockdown, with bars and restaurants open, although face masks must be worn in public at all times.
Earlier this week, Portuguese minister Mariana Vieira da Silva claimed: “Those who come to the Champions League final will come and return on the same day, with a test done, in a bubble situation, on charter flights.
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“There will be two fan zones and from there they will be moved to the stadium and from the stadium to the airport, being in Portugal less than 24 hours.”
Chelsea season-ticket holder Dave Johnstone had to cancel trips to Istanbul and Lisbon – and was left distraught after believing Porto may have to be axed too.
Johnstone said: “I know of at least 80 fans in the same position but it probably runs into the hundreds.
“It’s the supporters who are being punished.
“People like me aren’t bothered where it gets played.
“We have done our best to get cheap flights, get time off work and get the money together.”
Ian Cheeseman, head of the Forever Blue podcast, added: “I’m just so sorry for the Man City fans who are left in this horrible situation. It’s just not fair.”
But fans of both clubs have now been handed a major boost in the knowledge their trip can go ahead.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
