The last 16 ties were being considered for a switch to
Portugal but new restrictions have thrown Uefa plans into confusion
Uefa’s proposal to stage the second leg of Manchester
City’s Champions League tie with Real Madrid in Lisbon has been
thrown into doubt.
Changes to the UK’s Covid-19 rules on travellers
arriving here from abroad have removed one obstacle to the second leg being
held in Manchester and created difficulty in holding it in Portugal.
And the new changes could also put City at a distinct
disadvantage in the next Premier League season if they reach the
final of the competition.
Uefa have already decided to stage the competition from the
quarter-finals onwards entirely in Portugal, in a World Cup-style format
tournament.
And they were leaning towards also playing the four
outstanding last 16 ties due to be played on August 7 and 8 – in Portugal.
That would have meant that City, who leads 2-1 from the first
leg at the Bernabeu, would lose home advantage for the return, but could,
bizarrely, still be eliminated on the away goals rule even though Lisbon is
1,100 miles closer to their home stadium than it is to Manchester.
The rationale in that proposal was that, at the time, the UK
was insisting that all travellers from overseas would have to self-isolate for
14 days after arrival – which would mean playing the match would not be
possible.
They also considered the fact that playing all of the games
in one country would mean that teams would avoid flying all over Europe, which
isn't a great idea during a pandemic.
But the first of those two reasons have been removed by the
lifting of restrictions on travellers from Spain, which means Real would be
able to come to Manchester, play the game and return home the following day, as
normal.
The change in restrictions also means that anyone travelling
to Portugal has to self-isolate for 14 days on returning to this country.
So if City goes to Lisbon for the second leg, on August 7 or
8, flying back to Manchester the next day would make them unable to return to
Portugal for the rest of the tournament, if they get through to the
quarter-finals.
That means, if they beat real over two legs, they would have
to stay in Portugal for a week until the tournament gets underway.
Manager Pep Guardiola would prefer to play the game in
Manchester, but the idea of a week of training and acclimatisation in Portugal
if City progress would not be unappealing.
But the problem is then postponed, as City would still be
forced to self-isolate after returning to Manchester.
If they reached the Champions League final, on August 23, and
flew home the next day, they would have to self-isolate in Manchester for a
fortnight.
That would take them to within five days of the start of the
new Premier League season on September 12.
The city could rightly argue that such arrangements would put
them at a real disadvantage, as they would be unable to train together until
days before the new campaign.
Uefa have delayed the decision on venues for the remaining
last 16 games until the effects of the pandemic, and the various rules in
European countries, became clearer.
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