MP lukewarm on Euro 2020 foreign fans plan

The Three Lions squad face the prospect of taking on Ukraine at the Italian capital’s Stadio Olimpico without the backing which has carried them through their tournament fixtures so far, due to coronavirus quarantine rules.

And while the FA has reportedly promised to give priority to an estimated 30,000 UK citizens already living in the country, demands are growing for this offer to be extended to Britons living across the continent.

But when put to her, Business, Energy and Clean Growth minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan promised to raise the suggestion with decision-makers, without committing to it herself.

“I’m sure those who have those powers will be listening and hear it,” the Berwick MP told Wednesday morning’s (June 30) edition of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “That will that will be something that I’m sure they will look at and I will make sure that that’s fed through.

“But I think certainly those of us who are in the UK, who aren’t able to travel, will be cheering so loudly that our team will hear us in Rome.”

Speaking to Sky News, she added England fans should ‘watch from home and cheer on the team as loudly as you can’.

England booked their spot in the quarter-final following their 2-0 win over Germany on Tuesday night and remain the only team yet to concede a goal in the contest.

But despite calls for Gareth Southgate’s team to have the biggest support possible, the quarter-final tie in Rome is set to be played in front of a heavily reduced crowd of just 18,000, with the official English allocation limited to about 2,000 tickets.

Currently, all UK arrivals in Italy must isolate for five days. Italy is on the UK’s Amber list, which also stipulates travellers must quarantine after entering the country.

The government has faced criticism however over plans to allow exemptions to these guidelines for what Trevelyan called ‘critical business meetings that really need to be done face to face’.