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Football London
Football London
Sport
David Byrom

Chelsea fans say the same thing about Champions League final venue after government decision

Chelsea fans have not been able to hide their glee at the prospect of the Champions League final being played at Spurs' stadium.

The government have added Turkey to its red list of countries, throwing doubt over Istanbul's ability to host the all-English final between Chelsea and Man City.

Elite athletes are not exempt from restrictions imposed on those returning from red-listed countries, which force a 10-day quarantine in a hotel at a cost of £1,750.

It means the government are in talks with UEFA over the prospect of moving the final to England, and Blues fans would love the opportunity to win the trophy in their rivals' stadium.

Villa Park has also been named as a prospective venue for the final, but there are doubts over how much work would be required to bring it up to UEFA's standards.

Wembley is set to host the Championship play-off final on the same day as the Champions League final, which has increased speculation that Spurs may host the game, after they had previously offered to stage any spare Euro matches.

While no formal request has yet been made to move the game, talks are reportedly under way between the government, FA and UEFA over moving the match to England.

The government has also considered waiving the 10-day quarantine requirement due to the havoc it would play to England's Euro preparations but this would still mean British fans would be forced to quarantine at a cost of £1,750 should they want to attend the game.

With clubs being given allocations of up to 12,000 tickets, it is unlikely that Britain has the capacity to cope with that many people quarantining at once.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has told fans not to travel to Turkey for the game.

He said: "I'm afraid we're having to put Turkey on the red list, which has a number of ramifications.

"It does mean, for the Champions League final, fans should not travel to Turkey.

"The FA are in discussion with UEFA, we're very open to hosting the final, but it is ultimately a decision for UEFA.

"It's worth mentioning that the UK already has a successful track record of football matches with spectators so we're well-placed to do it."

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