The Champions League season is scheduled to end in Lisbon in mid-August. Rising Corona Falls there could thwart the plan. Is Frankfurt stepping in?
Only last week, UEFA announced that they want to continue the Champions League season as a tournament in Lisbon.
From 12 August at the latest, when the quarter-final duels increase, the tournament will be played in the Portuguese capital.
Now, however, an increasing number of Corona cases in the Lisbon area is raising doubts as to whether the knockout rounds can really be played there.
UEFA have also reacted to the changed situation. “UEFA is in constant contact with the Portuguese Football Federation and the Portuguese authorities,” said an official statement. “We hope that it will be possible to organise the Final 8 matches in Portugal.” The European Federation does not yet see the need to consider a Plan B. “But we are assessing the situation daily and will react to it if necessary.”
Corona numbers in Portugal are rising
The infection figures, particularly in the capital, have recently risen so sharply again that the government has announced a new lockdown for large parts of Greater Lisbon.
As Prime Minister António Costa announced, as of 1 July, residents of the 19 affected municipalities will only be allowed to leave their homes to go shopping, go to work or see a doctor. A maximum of five people will be allowed at meetings. The districts in central Lisbon are not (yet) affected by the measures.