PM considers call for foreign fans and VIPs to avoid quarantine at Wembley Euro games

Published

4 years ago

June 18, 2021

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A minister has said the government is trying to “accommodate” Euro 2020 “as much as we possibly can” – amid reports thousands of VIPs will be granted quarantine-free access to England for the final.

Both semi-finals and the final of the tournament are set to take place at London’s Wembley stadium next month.

And, according to The Times, around 2,500 senior UEFA and FIFA officials, politicians, sponsors and broadcasters could be exempted from having to self-isolate on arrival to England.

The newspaper said there were concerns within government that the semi-finals and final would be moved to Hungary, which is soon to significantly ease COVID border restrictions, if they did not relax rules for VIPs coming to England for the showpiece football matches.

Under England’s current border restrictions, only those travelling from 11 “green list” countries are not required to quarantine on their arrival.

These include a number of south Atlantic islands as well as countries – such as Australia and New Zealand – that are currently not allowing international travel.

No countries competing at Euro 2020 – apart from England, Scotland and Wales – are on the travel green list.

Sky News understands ministers are still working through details with UEFA and the Football Association, although no decisions have yet been taken on any possible exemptions for VIPs.

Any move to exempt VIPs from quarantine rules would prompt a public backlash, with many Britons having been left unable to book a foreign holiday this summer due to the limited number of countries on the green list.

Asked if it was unfair that some VIPs could enjoy quarantine-free travel to the UK – while many British holidaymakers who return from non-green list countries would have to self-isolate – Home Office minister Kit Malthouse told Sky News: “One of the things we are trying to do… is obviously accommodate the Euros as much as we possibly can.

“While much of, I guess, the concern around coronavirus regulations has been about whether one situation is fair compared to another situation, what we’re generally trying to do is make difficult decisions about the path of the virus at the same time as trying to enable the ordinary operation of very special events like the Euros.

“No doubt the health professionals and the immigration professionals at the Home Office and then the senior ministers who make the decision will take all of that into account as we proceed.

“It’s a great competition, we’re very lucky to have it, we’re trying to make it happen with as much kind of satisfaction all round as we possibly can and that will be taken into account in the decision over the next few days.”

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the proposal of special access for VIP visitors for Euro 2020 “does not sound fair at all”.

“It’s part of the way this Conservative government operates – there’s one rule for their friends and another rule for the rest of us,” he told Sky News.

“We saw that with Dominic Cummings during the pandemic who broke all the rules and didn’t pay the price.

“So often with this Conservative government, if you’re friendly with them you get special favours – that is not the way to do politics.”

This year’s Champions League final – between English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City – was held in Portugal and not at Wembley, as had been floated, after UEFA and the UK government failed to reach agreement on quarantine exemptions.

Despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson having delayed the final easing of lockdown rules, which had been due on 21 June, the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 at Wembley will have crowds of up to 45,000.

Politics

Talks to find ‘way through’ Maccabi fans ban – as PM condemns ‘wrong decision’

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2025

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Talks to find 'way through' Maccabi fans ban - as PM condemns 'wrong decision'

Senior government figures are meeting today to “see if there’s a way through” a ban on Israeli fans attending a football match in Birmingham.

There has been political outcry after the city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) said it would not allow Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend the team’s away game against Aston Villa next month.

Politics latest: MPs condemn decision to ban Israeli fans from Birmingham match

The announcement, supported by West Midlands Police, was based partly on what happened in Amsterdam last year, when Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters attending a game against Ajax were caught up in attacks in the Dutch capital city.

However, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “the wrong decision”, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was a “national disgrace”.

Speaking to Sky News on Friday morning, science and technology minister Ian Murray revealed Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is meeting with the Home Office in a bid to reverse the decision.

“It’s just completely and utterly unacceptable, and the prime minister has said we will do everything we possibly can to resolve this issue,” Mr Murray said.

“It’s an operational issue for the police, and government doesn’t get involved in operational issues for the police,” he said.

“But I know the Culture Secretary of State (Ms Nandy) will be meeting with the Home Office and other stakeholders today to try and see if there’s a way through this.”

West Midlands Police said it had classified the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture as high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.

The force said this included violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, when more than 60 people were arrested.

Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, has called for an “immediate review” of the decision.

However, Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa Jewish Villans supporters’ club, said the decision to ban only fans of the Israeli side is “a political message rather than a safety message”.

The decision has provoked a political row with some independent MPs welcoming the ban but senior figures in Labour, the Tories, Reform UK and the Lib Dems condemning it.

Sir Keir criticised the ban on X last night, writing: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.

“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

PM ‘lacks backbone’

However, Ms Badenoch said he “lacks the backbone to stand up for Britain”, and branded the decision a “national disgrace” last night and suggested the PM reverse it.

Richard Holden, the shadow transport minister, claimed “nobody believes this is an operational issue”.

He told Sky News: “There’s clearly political pressure being put on. It’s quite clear that there needs to be political leadership from the prime minister to ensure that this can’t go ahead.”

Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group is made up of officials from the local authority, emergency responders – including the police – and event organisers.

Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, who had called for the match to be cancelled, welcomed the decision.

He said in a statement that “with so much hostility around the match… it was right to take drastic measures”.

Later on BBC Newsnight, he said there were “vile chants of racism and hatred” at the Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam last year and the prime minister should “stay out of operational matters”.

How have football clubs reacted?

UEFA, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi Tel Aviv fans could attend the match.

Aston Villa said the decision followed safety concerns raised by officers.

They said in a statement: “Following a meeting this afternoon, the SAG has formally written to the club and UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend Villa Park for this fixture.

“West Midlands Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night.

“The club are in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision.”

Jack Angelides, chief executive of Maccabi Tel Aviv, said he did not want to take security issues lightly but said the team has travelled to places such as Turkey where he said the sentiment is “not so kind towards Israeli teams” but the police “were out in force” and there were no incidents.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “So I do find it somewhat difficult to understand why this has come to pass in the sense that our fans cannot be secure in attending this match.

“And also begs the question a little bit to be honest – well, there is a delegation coming of management, of players, and all the supporting staff, are we saying that they will be secure also or that there are issues with them?”

He said he understood the reasons given for the ban and tries to avoid interfering in how other countries should behave.

“But I do think this is an extremely important moment because of what it signifies,” he added.

“I don’t use this term lightly but people ask ‘what does antisemitism look like?’ And it’s often manifested as part of a process, a process in other words small events – leading up to something that’s more sinister.”