Wembley Stadium is expected to have more matches at this summer’s European Championships as a reward for the Football Association’s role in stopping the Super League.
England’s so-called “big sex” – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – all signed up for the new competition but were eventually persuaded to drop out, much to the delight of UEFA and literally everyone with a heart.
Statement from @FA: pic.twitter.com/nkxYvAL9yP
– FA Spokesman (@FAspokesperson) April 20, 2021
According to The Telegraph, FA CEO Mark Bullingham played a key role in blocking the plans and contacted both the Duke of Cambridge and the Prime Minister to build more resistance for the six teams to try to overcome.
UEFA officials are seen as happy with Bullingham’s effort and are prepared to give Wembley a handful of the games that have not yet been awarded to a stadium.
Nine of the host cities have already confirmed that they will be able to meet the COVID-19 guidelines, while Munich is expected to show all the necessary evidence soon enough, but Bilbao was recently dropped as host city and Dublin is facing a race against time to prove its credentials as well.
? The EURO Cup is in Rome! #EUROTrophyTour # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/S8A6yHX9nI
– UEFA EURO 2020 (@ EURO2020) 21 April 2021
Some of the vacancies are likely to be given to Wembley, who already have more games than any other stadium, as a gesture of good will from UEFA.
There may also be extra games handed out to the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg as a reward for Russia’s ability to confirm large capacity at the arena this summer.
As it stands, Wembley are set to host all three of England’s group stage matches against Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic, and both the semi-finals and final will all be held at the arena later this summer.
Sensational from @alanshearer? #OnThisDay 1998, his big strike helped #ThreeLions to a 3-0 victory over Portugal! Pic.twitter.com/TzGNSNt5w6
– England (@England) 22 April 2021
UEFA is keen to complete the schedule as soon as possible to give fans enough time to plan their travels. Munich and Dublin were expected to have until April 19 to prove they could welcome fans safely, but it seems the deadline has been pushed back.
Munich are likely to get approval in the next few days, but Dublin are close to being fired from their games after showing no signs of taking the necessary steps to host supporters.
For more from Tom Gott, follow him on Twitter!
