Football news - VIPs could be allowed to attend Euro 2020 games in England without quarantine - report

VIPs may be allowed to attend Euro 2020 games in England without having to abide by standard quarantine regulations, according to a government minister.

The Times has reported that around 2,500 attendees from UEFA, FIFA, the world of politics, as well as sponsors and broadcasters, would not be obliged to follow quarantine that most visitors to Britain must undergo.

The news comes as the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the country was not yet ready to have the remaining coronavirus restrictions lifted, amid concerns over the Delta variant, and to allow more people to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

The teams taking part in the tournament are all on the amber list, with the exception of Wales and Scotland, and Turkey, which is on the government’s red list. Visitors from red list countries must quarantine at a specially designated hotel for 10 days, while those from amber list locations have to self-isolate at home and pay for testing.

Policing and crime minister Kit Malthouse said of the potential exemptions: “I haven’t seen the detail of that particular proposal. One of the things we are trying to do though is obviously accommodate the Euros as much as we possibly can.

“And while much of the concern around coronavirus regulations has been about whether one situation is fair compared with another situation what we’re generally trying to do is make difficult decisions about the path of a virus, at the same time as trying to enable the ordinary operation of very special events like the Euros and, no doubt, health professionals and the immigration professionals at the Home Office and then the senior ministers who make a decision will take all of that into account as we proceed.

“And look, it’s a great competition, we’re very lucky to have it, we’re trying to make it happen with as much kind of satisfaction all round as we possibly can and that will be taken into account in the decision over the next few days.”

Hungary is in the running to replace England as a host for the semi-finals according to the report. Hungary has no border restrictions for countries in the Schengen zone and permits full attendance at its stadiums.