Wembley to be handed more Euro 2020 games as reward for breaking up Super League

22 April 2021 14:45

Wembley Stadium is expected to be handed more matches at this summer's European Championships as a reward for the Football Association's role in stopping the breakaway Super League.

England's so-called 'big six' - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham - all signed up for the new competition but were eventually persuaded to drop out, much to the delight of UEFA and literally everyone with a heart.

According to The Telegraph, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham played a key role in blocking the plans, liaising with both the Duke of Cambridge and the Prime Minister to build up more opposition for the six teams to try and overcome.

UEFA officials are understood to be delighted with Bullingham's effort and are prepared to hand Wembley a handful of the games which have yet to be allocated a stadium.

Nine of the host cities have already confirmed they will be able to meet COVID-19 guidelines, while Munich is expected to show all the necessary evidence soon enough, but Bilbao was recently dropped as a host city and Dublin faces a race against time to prove its credentials as well.

Some of those vacant games are likely to be given to Wembley, which already has more games than any other stadium, as a gesture of good will from UEFA.

There could also be extra games handed to the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg as a reward for Russia's ability to confirm large capacities in the stadium this summer.

As it stands, Wembley is set to host all three of England's group-stage games against Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic, and both semi-finals and the final will all be held at the stadium later in the summer.

UEFA are keen to finalise the schedule as soon as possible in order to give fans enough time to plan their travels. Munich and Dublin were expected to have until April 19 to prove they were capable of safely welcoming fans, but it appears as though that deadline has been pushed back.

Munich is likely to receive clearance in the coming days, but Dublin is close to being stripped of its games after showing no signs of taking the necessary steps to host supporters.

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Source: 90min