Madrid has emerged as an alternative location for the Champions League final if that match cannot be played in Istanbul. The final was supposed to have been played in the Turkish city on May 30, but due to the corona crisis, the European tournaments have been postponed until further notice.
The European football federation UEFA wants to make a decision next Wednesday about the continuation of the Champions League. The scenarios surrounding the new European football season and the games to be played in the Nations League in September will also be on the agenda.
The Champions League had reached the eighth finals when the corona pandemic shut down the world. UEFA would now have plans to complete the tournament in one country within a relatively short period of time after the summer. Most likely those matches will have to be completed without an audience. Istanbul, to which the final was originally awarded, reportedly does not see a final without spectators.
“Message to the world”
Madrid does have ears to the final. “Steps are already being taken and the city council supports the plan to hold the Champions League final here in Madrid,” Mayor José Luis Martinez-Almeda said on Spanish TV. “We have the infrastructure and adequate safety conditions. It would also be a great message to the world. Despite the drama we have experienced here, Madrid is not giving up.”
Spain, with 27,000 deaths, is one of the hardest hit countries by the coronavirus, but seems to have gone through the worst and has relaxed security measures in the meantime. The Spanish league will resume next Thursday, without an audience at the matches.
Real Madrid’s stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, is currently under construction. Real will play his home games in the near future at the training complex in a much smaller stadium.
It is plausible that the mayor has the stadium of Atlético Madrid, Wanda Metropolitano, in mind for the final of the Champions League.
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