A last-minute decision to ease Covid-19 safety rules for Saturday’s Champions League final angered locals as hundreds of unmasked English fans filled waterfront bars of the Porto river on Friday evening.
European football governing body UEFA has moved the final between English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea from Istanbul to Porto to allow fans to travel to the match under Covid-19 restrictions. Some Porto residents fear a spike in infections due to the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus spreading in parts of England after being first identified in India. Others are unhappy that foreign fans can enter the stadium, but locals have been banned from attending matches for months.
“If they open [the stadiums] for the English, they should open [them] for all, ”said Alexandre Magalhaes, walking through Porto, which was filled with fans.
The Portuguese government initially said England supporters should only return home on match day, stay in a “bubble” and return home immediately after the match. But authorities on Thursday dropped the requirement for fans to stay in bubbles and lifted movement restrictions. “If these [new rules] are true, I will no longer comply with any lockdowns, ”one Twitter user wrote. Another wrote: “It is a shame for anyone who continues to adhere to sanitary rules. “
Portugal imposed a lockdown in January after an increase in the number of cases, but the rules have since been relaxed. Some 16,500 fans will be allowed to enter the stadium. Many others came to support their teams away from home.
Hundreds of maskless fans flooded bars on the Douro River in Porto on Friday night, drinking beer and chanting team slogans as police kept a close eye on them. There were slight clashes between the supporters. Although fans have broken the coronavirus rules in place to reduce the risk of contagion, which make it mandatory to wear the mask in overcrowded areas, police officers on the ground have not enforced the wearing of the mask.
Police Commander Paula Peneda told a press conference that authorities were expecting many English fans without tickets in the city on Saturday, but could not specify a number. Authorities said they could not prevent fans from traveling as British tourists are now allowed in and out of Portugal if they show a negative PCR test.
Metropolitan Police Superintendent Lysander Strong said two fan zones with a capacity of 6,000 people each – one for the two teams – would be set up in the city. From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the fan zones will only be open to ticket holders who will then be transported to the stadium. The zones will then open to people without a ticket. The consumption of beer is permitted and all supporters must present a negative Covid-19 test to access fan zones. “We encourage all English supporters here to contribute to an orderly environment,” Strong said.
Porto mayor Rui Moreira said the city was ready for the final after having only had two weeks to prepare. “The Portuguese are adapting… We are good enough to improvise,” he said.
