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

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.

Euro 2020: English residents in Italy first in line for Rome quarter final tickets
Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/POOL/AFP

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.

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.

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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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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