The UK government has approved the attendance of a limited number of fans for the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
The match, which sees Manchester City go head to head with Tottenham, was originally to be played without spectators as per Covid-19 protocols.
As Britain looks to ease lockdown measures, however, the showpiece event on April 25 will see a small percentage of the Wembley's 90,000 seats warmed by fans.
What was said?
Both Spurs and City released similar statements on Sunday, which read: “A limited number of fans will be permitted to attend the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley following the match’s approval as an official test event.
“The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has given the green light for 8,000 spectators to attend as part of the UK Government’s Events Research Programme. A proportion of these tickets will be made available to both finalists.
“Remaining tickets will be for groups including local residents in Brent and similarly NHS staff, who will be offered tickets as a ‘thank-you’ for the incredible service that has been provided during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are conscious that the final is just three weeks away. We will provide a full update on the size of the Club’s allocation and how to apply for tickets as soon as we have further updates.”
Have others eased restrictions?
The news comes in the wake of UEFA announcing on Wednesday that it has removed the 30 per cent spectator limit on games, meaning local associations can make their own call on crowd sizes for Champions League and Europa League fixtures.
The Premier League, La Liga and Serie A are all hopeful that a reduced number of fans can return to stadiums before the end of the 2020-21 season, but supporters across all five of Europe's top leagues remain banned from attending matches for now.
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