City has received an allocation of 6,000 tickets for the May
29 showpiece against Chelsea in Porto and Sheikh Mansour has said all those
travelling on the official package will see their costs covered.
Fans are permitted to stay in the country for just 24 hours
— subject to furnishing a negative coronavirus test — due to Covid protocols.
“Thousands of City supporters will benefit from the
initiative which is designed to ease the financial pressure on fans who have
faced — and are still facing — challenging circumstances due to the impact of
the Covid-19 pandemic,” a club statement read.
“The Covid inflated costs, combined with necessary but
expensive PCR testing, would have rendered the trip to the final unmanageable
for many of those supporters lucky enough to qualify for a ticket.
“Due to the necessary Covid related restrictions in place,
the majority of fans wishing to attend the historic first final for the Club,
are required to do so within a 24 hour trip, meaning that His Highness’
initiative will fund the transport of several thousand City fans on the
official travel package on the day of the final.”
Sheikh Mansour said the gesture was a reward to those fans
who had stuck with the club through thick and thin.
“Pep (Guardiola the manager) and the team have had such a
remarkable season and their reaching the Champions League Final after a very
challenging year represents a truly historic moment for the Club,” he said in a
statement.
“It is therefore incredibly important that as many fans as
possible have the opportunity to attend this special game.
“Especially those who have supported Manchester City through
good and bad times for so many years.”
Sheikh Mansour’s generosity will go down well with fans who
were furious when the club signed up to the European Super League last month.
City withdrew like its five fellow Premier League clubs 48
hours later.