Fans can return to the grandstands for the European Football Championship EURO 2020 matches hosted by Romania, announced the Minister of Youth and Sports Károly Eduárd Novák on Tuesday in a press release. Novák, proposed for his position by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (known by its Hungarian acronym of RMDSZ) called the decision historic. The matches will be played in front of 13,000 spectators, representing a quarter of the Bucharest venue’s capacity.
The long-awaited decision as to how many football fans could enter the stadium to watch the matches played in Bucharest during the European Championship in June was finally made on Tuesday.
“…the matches organized in Romania as part of the final tournament of the European Football Championship EURO 2020 will take place with spectators in the stands. By approving the memorandum presented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports at the last government meeting, the Romanian government undertook to adopt the necessary legislation to allow the matches of the final tournament of the European Football Championship Euro 2020 organized in 2021 to be played in the territory of Romania to take place with a maximum of 13,000 spectators in the stands, representing 25 percent of the capacity of the National Arena,” the press release states.
“We have the historic chance to be part of a major sporting event and to prove that we can honor our obligations to the highest standards of organization and health safety.”
– Novák said.
This decision had to be made by all 12 host cities, including Bucharest, because Euro 2020 organizer UEFA asked them at the beginning of March to give their most realistic assessment of how many people should be allowed in the stadium before April 7. UEFA asked the host cities to consider the most realistic of four scenarios, ranging from allowing for 100 percent capacity to playing behind closed doors. Out of these, Bucharest has chosen the 25 percent capacity option.
The European Football Championship Euro 2020 has been postponed by one year and will finally be held from June 11 to July 11, 2021. The opening game will be held in Rome, while the final will be in London.
Bucharest will host four matches including three Group C matches and one match during the round of 16, as follows: Austria vs. North Macedonia (June 13), Ukraine vs. North Macedonia (June 17), Ukraine vs. Austria (June 21), all in Group C; the round of 16 match will be played on June 28.
Title image: 25 percent of the capacity of the National Arena will be used during the EURO 2020 matches in Bucharest. (image: sbp.de)
