The Spanish city of Bilbao will no longer host matches at this summer’s European Championship released by UEFA.
Located in northern Spain, Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country and the stunning San Mames Stadium has room for over 53,000 spectators, but with the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, the authorities there can not guarantee the arena will be at least a quarter full for Euro 2020- matches.
The Spanish city of Bilbao has been lost by UEFA to host the upcoming European Championships. https://t.co/Kj2P9jlZZa
– AP Sports (@AP_Sports) April 22, 2021
As a result, UEFA has lost the arena with only two months left until the tournament begins.
The governing body of European football requires that the host matches be able to ensure the presence of the fans, albeit in smaller numbers. However, the authorities in Bilbao are said to have been unable to meet this requirement as it would contradict the current restrictions.
San Mames would host Spain’s group E matches against Poland, Sweden and Slovakia. Such is the disappointment of the local organizers that they threatened to sue UEFA immediately after the “unilateral” decision to leave the city as hosts.
Authorities in Bilbao have left disappointed Angel Martinez / Getty Images
An announcement about the host cities has been delayed until Friday due to attendance problems, and as of Monday, nine of the 12 original hosts had given guarantees of 25% crowds, with doubts left as to whether Bilbao, Munich and Dublin could host.
The Spanish city has since been dropped, Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has suggested that it would be too early for Dublin to meet UEFA’s demands to fill stadiums to 25% capacity, and with Munich still in balance, much work remains to be done. with only two months left.
