A HANDFUL of foreign football VIPs could be ‘bubbled’ into Wembley for the Euros final next month, The Sun can reveal.
Boris Johnson admitted ministers are making “sensible accommodations” to allow dignitaries to attend the late stages of the tournament in London.
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Officials are finalising plans to allow executives from national football associations, UEFA delegates and sponsors to be bussed directly from private jets or quarantine hotels to the flagship games with an exemption in quarantine laws.
But foreign fans will still have to isolate for ten days before attending any game.
Government insiders insist there is no threat to strip Wembley of the final and semi-finals, and negotiations over the exact attendance with UEFA have been rumbling on since April.
Boris Johnson said: “We’ll do what we have to do to keep the country safe from Covid”, but admitted some concessions could be made to the footballing body.
He added: “We’ll be talking to the UEFA about what they want and see if we can make some sensible accommodations.”
Whitehall sources said they were working through the talks and no threat had been made to move the games.
The source said: “Even with quarantine we have fans from all over the world here, so it will very much feel like a home match for the teams involved.
“We will find common ground, with VIPs kept in a tightly controlled environment.
“Ultimately our position on killing the European Super League means we have credit in the bank with UEFA so we will come up with a solution.”
In a statement the footballing authority said: “We are in discussions with the local authorities to try to allow fans of the participating teams to attend the matches, using a strict testing and bubble concept that would mean their stay in the UK would be less than 24 hours and their movements would be restricted to approved transport and venues only.
“We understand the pressures that the Government face and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion of our discussions on the matter.
“There is always a contingency plan but we are confident that the final week will be held in London.”