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UEFA: 2021 Champions League and Europa League finals to go ahead as planned with some fans

We could see all-English finals in the 2021 Champions League and Europa League finals; Man City beat PSG 2-1 in first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday; Chelsea drew 1-1 in Spain against Real Madrid on Tuesday; Man Utd face Roma and Arsenal take on Villarreal in last four on Thursday

A aerial view of Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul
Image: UEFA is still expecting a 'limited number' of fans to attend the final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul

UEFA has confirmed the 2021 Champions League final in Istanbul will go ahead as planned and will have a "limited number" of fans despite Turkey's rising number of coronavirus cases, while this year's Europa League final could see 10,000 supporters at the Gdansk Stadium in Poland.

Turkey is preparing to enter its first full lockdown on Thursday, but European football's governing body is still expecting a "limited number" of fans to attend its showpiece event at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on May 29.

"The Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on May 29 with a limited number of spectators and we are assured that the temporary lockdown which is in force until May 17 should not have any impact on the match," UEFA said in a statement.

"UEFA will continue to work closely with the Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely.

"Further information regarding the capacity for the match and ticketing details will be communicated soon."

It could be an all-English final for the second time in three years; Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 to claim the trophy in Madrid in 2019.

This season, Manchester City beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday and Chelsea drew 1-1 in Spain against Real Madrid on Tuesday, with the return fixtures taking place in England next week.

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Europa League final could see up to 10,000 fans

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says it's time Manchester United got past the semi-finals stage and insists the Europa League is still a very important competition to win

It is believed 10,000 fans in total could be allowed to attend the Europa League final next month in Gdansk and it is understood authorities are looking at having 1,900 tickets available for each team that reaches the final.

The Polish Government yesterday confirmed that from May 15 onwards, 25 per cent of a stadium's capacity can be opened up to fans, as coronavirus cases in the country fall.

The Gdansk Stadium has a capacity of 41,000. But even if Arsenal and Manchester United make it to the final on May 26, there is no certainty that their fans will be able to attend.

Foreign travel from the UK is currently not permitted until May 19.

United face Roma as Arsenal take on Villarreal on Thursday in the last four with the Gunners looking to redeem themselves from the 2019 final when they lost 4-1 to Chelsea and United attempting to add to their 2017 triumph.

FIFPro: CL reforms do not consider players' welfare

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Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel says he is 'not happy at all' about the new Champions League format that is set to be introduced from the 2024/25 season

FIFPro General Secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann has criticised UEFA's Champions League reforms as detrimental to players' health and believes they're unlikely to provide any additional financial boost.

Europe's governing body for football approved changes that will see the number of teams competing in the Champions League rise from 32 to 36, while the group stage will be replaced by a single league stage, known as the 'Swiss model'.

The alterations to the competition will see teams play at least 10 games in the first stage, up from six in the present format, much to the frustration of Baer-Hoffmann as well as players and managers alike.

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Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp strongly criticised the new UEFA Champions League format that would see the teams play more games

"We've seen this for a number of years, whether it was the Club World Cup, the Nations League or commercial tours ahead of a new season - there is generally little regard for the impact the calendar has on players' health and their performance," Jonas Baer-Hoffmann told Sky Sports News.

"The attention to the health has been completely lacking for years - we've presented on this to a number of bodies, including UEFA, but we don't see it trickle down in the decision-making process.

"If players start to get injured or start to miss games that doesn't help anyone.

"These players want to play but they want to play at the highest level they can and frankly value is not just created by the quantity of matches but the quality of them."

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