Euro 2020 final: Move match from Wembley to Rome to avoid Covid spike, says Italian prime minister

Mario Draghi’s suggestion comes on the same day that the UK reported 10,633 new cases of Covid-19 and five deaths

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The prime minister of Italy has suggested that the final of Euro 2020 should be held in Rome, not Wembley, due to rising Covid-19 infection rates in the UK.

“Yes... I will try to stop the final being held in a country where infections are rising quickly,” Mario Draghi said at a news conference in Berlin with German chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday. “I advocate that the final should not take place in a country in which the risk of infection is very big.”

London is set to host the last match of the tournament on 11 July and there Uefa is in talks with the British government over raising the capacity to 65,000 for the semi-finals and final.

According to The Times, a deal to increase the capacity by a further 20,000 from the current figure of 45,000 is expected to be confirmed in the next couple of days.

All fans will have to either have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine or be able to produce a negative test result.

Uefa, meanwhile, said that there are currently no plans to change venue. “Uefa, the English FA and the English authorities are working closely together successfully to stage the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 at Wembley and there are no plans to change the venue for those games.”

On Monday, Italy reported 21 coronavirus-related deaths and 495 new cases. On the same day, the UK recorded just five deaths and 10,633 new cases. Although cases remain high, hospitalisations and deaths are far lower than in previous waves of the pandemic, predominantly due to the UK’s vaccine rollout.

As of Monday, 47.1 per cent of the population had received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine while 64.6 per cent had received one dose.