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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Milne

EFL stance on moving playoffs from Wembley amid Champions League final uncertainty

The EFL are reportedly willing to consider rescheduling the play-off finals in order to allow the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea to be played at Wembley.

The showpiece match involving the two English sides was due to take place at Istanbul's Ataturk Stadium on May 29, but after Turkey was placed on the UK's coronavirus red-list on Friday the plans have been thrown into chaos.

The FA are now in discussions with UEFA over the prospect of the match taking place in England, but the possibility of it going ahead at the 90,000-capacity Wembley had looked impossible due to the fact the stadium is due to host the Championship play-final on the same day.

Wembley Stadium could yet host the Champions League final (PA)

However, according to the Evening Standard the EFL may be happy to compromise, and move all three play-off dates so that the Champions League final can go ahead at the national stadium.

The League One and League Two play-offs are scheduled for May 30 and 31 respectively, and it could be that all three games are pushed back a day.

The EFL could also consider moving the play-offs to a different ground, such as Arsenal's Emirates Stadium or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged UEFA to allow the UK to host the prestigious Champions League final.

He told The Sun: "The Champions League is the pinnacle of European club football.

"And with two English teams in the final, it would be a great shame if fans were unable to attend.

The final had been due to take place in Istanbul but this now looks doubtful (Handout via REUTERS)

"It would be brilliant to host it here if we can. I want to help supporters of both clubs see their team in action."

If the match does go ahead in the UK it would mean up to 15,000 supporters would be permitted to attend.

There were initially plans for a total of 25,000 spectators in Turkey, but with the country now in the grip of a third wave of the coronavirus this is clearly not possible.

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