Friday 23 April 2021
In front of at least 14,500 fans
Fix: EM games are taking place in Munich
Munich remains host of the European Championship: Joachim Löw can look forward to at least three home games at the European Football Championship. Despite the corona pandemic, the Bavarian capital assures at the last minute that many fans will be allowed into the stadium. Bilbao and Dublin lose their host role.
Munich remains the host of a total of four games at the European Football Championship. The European Football Union confirmed the Bavarian capital as the host of the three group games of the German national team as well as a quarter-final. The decision was made after the local authorities had confirmed that at least 14,500 spectators were possible for all games in the Allianz Arena, said UEFA. Germany’s national coach Joachim Löw’s team will play against France (June 15), Portugal (June 19) and Hungary (June 23) as well as a quarter-finals in Munich.
This knockout round match on July 2nd in particular had been on the brink until the very end, as UEFA had hoped for more spectators at another venue. According to the schedule, the DFB-Elf would only return to a quarter-finals in Munich as third in the group.
Shortly before the decision by the UEFA Executive Committee, the DFB had already reported “positive omens”. The government of the Free State of Bavaria has “declared its agreement with the lead scenario that the DFB has worked out together with the city of Munich and the responsible offices and authorities over the past few months,” said the association. In this scenario, a minimum capacity of 14,500 viewers is considered “realistic”.
Commuting between Russia and Spain
In contrast to Munich, Bilbao and Dublin lose their four European Championship games each, the two hosts could not give any guarantees for spectators. The games planned in the Basque city will now take place in Seville. The three group games that were planned in Dublin will go to St. Petersburg, which will now host a total of seven games. The round of 16 goes to London, where the German team could play if they finish second in their group.
UEFA postponed the decision on the Munich issue on Monday to give the German hosts another chance to make improvements. The Bavarian capital had recently refused to accept the audience and published three possible scenarios. These ranged from a maximum of 27,000 spectators to ghost games.
UEFA had already listed London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Budapest, Bucharest, St. Petersburg, Baku and Rome with various information on the possible occupancy rates of the stadiums. Munich’s partner host, Hungary, even wants to make it possible for full ranks to play in Budapest, and the British capital, London, is also hoping to host the final on July 11th in a full Wembley stadium.
The Munich decision was initially not expected to have any impact on the preparation of Joachim Löw’s DFB selection – even in the case of the EM withdrawal. The national team is planning their team quarters in Herzogenaurach. DFB director Oliver Bierhoff had emphasized in mid-March that “all plans” were aimed at Munich – but the team could be flown “anywhere” from nearby Nuremberg Airport.
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