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Euro 2020: English residents in Italy first in line for Rome quarter final tickets

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Euro 2020: English residents in Italy first in line for Rome quarter final tickets
An England supporter waves the flag ahead of the start of the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium in London on June 29, 2021. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / POOL / AFP)

England will be counting on fans living in Italy for support in the Euro 2020 quarter-final against Ukraine on Saturday as Covid-19 restrictions have stopped supporters from travelling to Rome.

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The Football Association confirmed on Tuesday that it would not be selling tickets to the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC), the official arm of England’s away supporters.

Fans will be unable to make the trip after the Italian government last week reinstated quarantine and testing requirements for all arrivals from the UK.

READ ALSO: Bars, house parties and fan zones: Where and how can you watch Euro 2020 matches in Italy?

Tickets will instead be made available primarily to fans resident in Italy, the FA said.

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So how can Italy’s English residents get hold of tickets for Saturday’s match?

The game will be hosted at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, with capacity reduced to just 18,000. The FA is allowed to distribute 12.5% of the tickets, which means there will be around 2,000 seats available.

The estimated 30,000 British citizens resident in Italy will no doubt be keen to get hold of tickets - but it's not yet clear how they'll be able to do so.

There was widespread confusion on Wednesday after UK media reports suggested that the British Embassy would be helping to distribute tickets for the match, following a statement by the FA.

“Unfortunately, the FA will not be selling any tickets via the ESTC for this fixture given the travel restrictions in place across both countries, and as such are working with Uefa and the British embassy in Italy to facilitate as many ticket sales to English residents in Italy as possible," the FA said in a statement to ESTC members on Tuesday:

EXPLAINED: How has Italy changed its rules on travel from the UK? 

However, the British Embassy in Rome told The Local on Wednesday that, contrary to reports, it "is not selling or distributing tickets for the match on Saturday in Rome".

An embassy spokesperson did not respond to requests for details on who fans should contact for ticket information.

We will publish an update on how tickets to the match are being distributed as the details become available.

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The British Embassy added: "Under the UK Government’s traffic light system Italy is currently listed as an amber country.

"The UK Government’s travel advice clearly states that fans should not travel to red and amber countries to protect public health in the UK from new Covid variants.

"The Italian authorities are responsible for setting and enforcing the rules for entry into Italy. Its current guidance states that from June 21st, people travelling from the UK or those who have been in the UK in the previous 14 days must self-isolate for 5 days upon arrival in Italy, after which they must take a rapid antigenic or molecular swab test for Covid-19 and test negative for release.

"This means that fans travelling from the UK to Italy after 28 June will not arrive in time to be able to watch the Euro 2020 quarter-final in Rome on July 3rd 2021."

 

 

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