Italy’s PM says Euro 2020 final should be moved to Rome due to UK Covid rates

Italy’s prime minister Mario Draghi has said he wants the final of the European football championships to be held in Rome rather than in London, because of Britain’s rising number of coronavirus infections.

Asked during a news conference in Berlin if he was in favour of the move, Draghi said: “Yes … I will try to stop the final being held in a country where infections are rising quickly.”

However, the president of Italy’s football federation, Gabriele Gravina, later “categorically” denied they were seeking to move the match from Wembley to Rome.

The UK has recorded 10,633 new coronavirus cases and five further deaths, according to the latest update on the government’s Covid dashboard.

The total number of new cases over the past week is now 31.4% up on the total for the previous week, while deaths are up 12.1% week on week.

In contrast, Italy has recorded 495 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, and 21 more deaths from the virus, iys health ministry said on Monday, with all of the country bar the Val d’Aosta having entered the low Covid-19 risk “white zone”.

Munich has also offered itself as a potential alternative venue for the Euro 2020 final, with Bavarian state premier Markus Söder saying the city was on standby: “We would always be happy any time to host another match”.

While a final in Wembley remained “plan A”, said the leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), “it would be wise for Uefa to have a plan B up its sleeve”.