The Irish capital, Dublin, has been excluded from organizing European Championship, by official decision of UEFA. The highest European football body announced the decision in the latest video conference. UEFA stressed that the reason for the decision was the inability of the Irish government to guarantee the presence of fans in stadiums.
Of course, this development brought a change of plans in the organization of matches. 3 Group E matches involving Slovakia, Sweden and Poland will be played in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, the 1/16 stage match that was scheduled to be played at Aviva Stadium, will be played in Wembly.
Irish Sports Minister Jack Chambers told the media:
"It simply came to our notice then. But, we must be honest about what can happen during the pandemic.
Jack Chambers
"Our fans will return to the stadiums this summer, but a start with 11,000 people in June would be a big step."
Meanwhile the city of Munich has officially received the green light for hosting the matches. This came after the guarantee of the German authorities, that at least 14,500 fans will be present during the challenges that will take place in Germany. On the other hand, the matches that would take place in Bilbao have been moved to the city of Seville.
UEFA President, Alexander Ceferin, after the conference stated:
"UEFA expresses its gratitude and appreciation to Bilbao and Dublin. Both cities are considered very good arenas for organizing other events in the future. "
Alexander Ceferin
UEFA also announced that tickets purchased in both cities have been canceled and fans will be re-compensated. Also, if these fans want to be present at the new venue where the matches will take place, they will have priority access to tickets.
