Mayor of London urges Scotland fans without a ticket to Wembley game to stay away from city
England are set to play Scotland at Wembley at 8pm on Friday, June 18
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Football Association are today calling on football fans to only travel to London for Scotland’s UEFA EURO 2020 match against England if they have a ticket for the game or if they have arranged a safe place to watch it from.
England are set to play Scotland at Wembley at 8pm on Friday, June 18. 21,500 tickets have been allocated for the match – with approximately 2,600 allocated to Scotland fans – but many more supporters are expected to travel to the capital.
Scottish fans have traditionally congregated at Trafalgar Square for matches against England – but this year, they will not be able to access the site as it will be used as a socially-distanced Fan Zone for key workers. Pubs and bars are also expected to limit the number of football fans they allow through their doors.
With Covid restrictions still due to be in place in England on the day of the match, it is not possible to arrange a separate Fan Zone for in London to accommodate large numbers of fans.
With cases of the variant first identified in India increasing, the Mayor, together with Scotland’s Culture Minister, Jenny Gilruth and the Scottish Football Association are urging fans to only come to London if they have a ticket for the match or if they have arranged a safe place to watch the game in compliance with COVID guidelines.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“I am so excited for UEFA EURO 2020 and one of the games that I am looking forward to the most is England’s match with Scotland at Wembley. I have some amazing memories of England v Scotland games in the past and I love the atmosphere that Scottish fans always bring to major football tournaments.
“However, I am today urging all fans to only come to London if you have a ticket for the match or if you have arranged a safe place to watch it from, in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.
“I want to be completely clear that Scottish fans will not be able to access their traditional Trafalgar Square base as it will be used as a socially-distanced Fan Zone for key workers who are helping our city through the pandemic. Due to COVID regulations there are no alternative sites for fans to gather in large numbers in central London.
“We have all been through so much over the last 15 months and while I know everyone wants to have a great time during the EUROs, it is vital that we make sure the competition is safe and takes place in an environment that we can all enjoy.
“If everything goes to plan, Covid restrictions will be lifted on June 21. Should that happen, I want to welcome people from all over the UK to the capital with open arms so they can experience our great city, theatres, bars, restaurants and great nightlife.”
Scotland’s Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said:
“I know for many of us EURO 2020 will be one of the highlights of the summer and an opportunity to support our national team. As well as the matches played in Glasgow, there will also be huge interest in the Scotland v England game at Wembley.
“Although we have made great progress, we all still have an important part to play in making sure we keep the virus under control. So I urge all football fans to plan in advance how you are going to enjoy the tournament and only travel to London for 18 June if you have a ticket or a safe place to watch the match from.”
Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA Chief Executive:
“Now that the window for Scotland Supporters Club members to purchase EURO 2020 tickets has closed, we ask all supporters not to travel to London for our Group D match on 18 June against England unless they have a ticket for the match.
“The Fan Zone at Glasgow Green running throughout the tournament will ensure more people in Scotland can experience UEFA EURO 2020 and, hopefully, celebrate some momentous Scotland results.
“I would urge Scotland fans to avoid unnecessary travel, to utilise the Fan Zone in Glasgow Green if they can and enjoy the UEFA EURO 2020 experience safely and locally.”
London is hosting eight matches during the competition, including both semi-finals and the final. All England games, both semi-finals and the final will be screened at Trafalgar Square.
The Trafalgar Square Fan Zone capacity for England v Scotland, and England’s first match against Croatia will be just 750 people in order to meet social distancing regulations. The Trafalgar Square Fan Zone will exclusively host key workers for these first games to thank them for their monumental efforts during the pandemic.
If social distancing restrictions are lifted on June 21 in accordance with the UK Government’s roadmap, up to 9,500 people will be able to attend each match screening at the Trafalgar Square Fan Zone from this date. Details on how to apply for the free Trafalgar Square Fan Zone tickets will be announced in due course.
There will also be a Fan Zone at Glasgow Green with tickets available now. Open for the 31 days of the tournament from 11 June to 11 July 2021, it will accommodate up to 6,000 people per day, split between two sessions. Further details are available at euro2020.scottishfa.co.uk/fanzone
Plans for the Fan Zone at Glasgow Green and the status of the pandemic will continue to be monitored in the run up to the tournament.