Euro 2020: Sevilla emerges as likely alternative to Bilbao to host matches

Barcelona: The Spanish football federation has offered Sevilla as an alternative host city for the European Championship if UEFA rules out using Bilbao as planned. The federation confirmed local media reports to The Associated Press on Friday that it has put forward Sevilla’s La Cartuja Stadium as an alternative to Bilbao’s San Mamés. Last week, the federation announced that the current pandemic situation in Bilbao made it impossible for fans to be allowed into the matches based on the regulations established by health authorities in the northern Basque Country region. The federation told the AP that it would be up to regional authorities in southern Andalusia to decide whether fans could potentially be allowed into games in Seville. Currently, there are no fans allowed into the league or national team matches anywhere in Spain. Other hosts for the tournament to be held around Europe between 11 June and 11 July have given assurances to UEFA that spectators will be allowed into stadiums. A UEFA decision on Bilbao is expected soon. Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium is a publicly owned stadium run by Andalusia’s regional government. The stadium, which has an athletic track around the field, can hold 60,000 fans. La Cartuja Stadium is set to host a second Copa del Rey final this month when Barcelona play Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. It also hosted the delayed 2020 cup final two weeks ago, when Real Sociedad beat Athletic Bilbao. No fans have been allowed to attend either final. Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium is scheduled to host Spain’s Group E games against Sweden, Poland and Slovakia as well as one round-of-16 game. The Basque Country region around Bilbao has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic in Spain. On Thursday, the region reported 358 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days, compared to 225 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Sevilla’s Andalusia region. Above 200 cases per 100,000 is considered high risk by authorities.