European football’s governing body announced Friday that the Irish capital and Bilbao in Spain would no longer host matches in the delayed competition. The move followed Irish football chiefs and the Basque government saying they were unable to give assurances on minimum spectator levels. xThe four matches once destined for Dublin three group games and a last-16 tie will now be held in St Petersburg and London, while Seville has stepped in to replace Bilbao. “I thought UEFA were out of order, quite frankly, putting that condition on countries,” Martin told Irish public broadcaster RTE. Ireland, which has a population of around 5 million, has registered nearly 5,000 deaths during the pandemic and been in a third lockdown since late December.

Source: The Guardian April 25, 2021 12:45 UTC