Bavaria allows 14,000 to attend Euro 2020 matches in Munich

BERLIN: The government of Bavaria on Friday gave the green light for around 14,000 spectators to attend Euro 2020 matches in Munich, meeting UEFA’s stipulation that no European Championship games are played behind closed doors.

Spectators will be able to see Germany host world champions France at the Allianz Arena on June 15, face holders Portugal four days later and then play Hungary on June 23, while a quarter-final will also be held in Munich.

“With a strict sanitary protocol, tests and masks, the stadium will be allowed to fill up to 20 percent capacity, or about 14,000 spectators,” Bavaria’s state premier Markus Soeder confirmed while also loosening Covid-19 restrictions in the German state.

Friday’s announcement allays fears that tough hygiene regulations in Germany could have meant games at the Allianz Arena would continue to be played behind closed doors.

Since the pandemic hit Germany in March 2020, Bayern Munich have played just one game in front of spectators, with a few hundred attending last month’s final Bundesliga home match of the 2020/21 season.

In April, the mayor of Munich said there was no “guarantee” fans would be able to attend Euro 2020 matches in the city, shortly after UEFA had insisted “a minimum of 14,500 spectators” would be able to see European Championship games live at the Allianz Arena.

European football’s governing body UEFA had previously dropped Dublin and Bilbao as host cities over their failure to guarantee that spectators could attend, but Munich was confirmed as a venue at the last minute.

Dublin’s matches will be moved to London and St Petersburg while Seville replaces Bilbao as a host city.

After Dublin’s withdrawal, the tournament will now be held in 11 different countries from June 11-July 11.