England take on Ukraine tonight in Rome in front of a reduced capacity crowd due to the Italian government’s Covid-19 restrictions.
Only 18,000 spectators will be present for the Euro 2020 quarter-final, significantly reduced from the Stadio Olimpico’s total 70,000 seats.
England fans have been discouraged from travelling to the stadium for the match by the English Football Association and the Italian government, and that message was repeated by the British government this week.
“The advice has been clearly set out,” said energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, urging England supporters to stay at home.
“Obviously it is very difficult not to smile just to see all those wonderful flags waving, it just makes you so proud of our team doing so well last night,” she told Sky News. “But really the ask is to watch from home and to cheer on the team as loudly as you can.”
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Ms Trevelyan added: “I think the challenge is can they hear us from Rome? And I’m sure we’ll take up that opportunity to be as supportive as we can of our amazing England team.”
The FA said it will not be selling tickets for the match to the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) due to Covid restrictions.
Current rules state UK passengers travelling to Italy must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test take 48 hours before travelling, and must then isolate for five days on arrival. However, UK nationals living in Europe are able to travel without quarantining and it is thought there are many thousands in the stadium.
