UEFA cut ticket prices for Italy vs Spain as they struggle to sell out for the first semi-final of Euro 2020 despite reduced capacity at Wembley… but insist it’s still a full house for England vs Denmark
Italy will face Spain at Wembley Stadium in the first semi-final of Euro 2020 on Tuesday night.
Around 60,000 fans will be allowed to attend the fixture at Wembley. However, the game has reportedly struggled to sell out.
According to The Athletic, a number of tickets have been sold at a discounted price in order to boost sales.
Italy will face Spain at Wembley Stadium in the first semi-final of Euro 2020 on Tuesday night
UEFA created four pricing bands for the semi-finals prior to the start of the tournament. These included: Category 1 (€595), Category 2 (€345), Category 3 (€195) and Fans First (€85).
However, ticket sales for Spain’s clash with Italy have plummeted compared to that of England’s clash with Denmark on Wednesday.
As a result, UEFA have lowered price bands in an attempt to increase attendance on Tuesday night.
It is believed Category 1 (€595), Category 2 (€345), Category 3 (€195) have all been available at a discounted price for the last fortnight.
The Athletic spoke to one lucky fan who said they managed to get their hands on three tickets for €85 each at 12:48pm BST on Tuesday.
UEFA have also amended the stadium’s seating plan as it relates to the various categories.
Around 60,000 fans will be allowed to attend the all-important fixture at Wembley
However, several tickets have been sold at discounted price in order to boost sales
Ahead of the tournament, fans were told that Category 3 tickets for the semi-finals – costing €195 – would be located behind the goals.
However, several fans have been allocated seats in Category 1 or 2 positions (close to the halfway line) despite buying Category 3 tickets.
A spokesperson said: ‘UEFA has decided to recategorise the seating plan for the semi-final between Italy and Spain due to the impossibility for travelling fans to attend the game.
‘This impossibility led to ticket returns and UEFA decided to make such tickets available at cheaper prices to give the chance to as many fans as possible to attend the game.’
Wembley’s 90,000-seater capacity was reduced to 22,500 for the tournament’s group fixtures. However, that was then expanded to 45,000 for last-16 ties.
The semi-finals taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday – as well as the final taking place on Sunday – will be permitted to have around 60,000 fans in the stadium.
However, those attending will have to be UK residents who are fully vaccinated or able to provide a negative lateral flow test from the previous 48 hours.
UEFA have also decided to recategorise the seating plan for the semi-final at Wembley
Roberto Mancini says it is ‘unfair’ the fans at the game will not be from the respective countries
As a result, many Spanish and Italian fans will miss out on the opportunity to cheer their teams on.
Italy manager Roberto Mancini said it is ‘unfair’ that the majority of fans attending the game will not be from the respective countries.
With the UK’s COVID-19 travel restrictions preventing fans from either nation travelling to England to attend the game, Mancini said: ‘I think it’s pretty unfair if I’m perfectly honest.
‘We’re better off playing in front of any crowd as opposed to playing in front of a small number of people; that’s what’s great about football and entertainment in general.
‘But I do think it’s very unfair that we don’t have half the stadium full of Italian fans and half the stadium full of Spaniards.’