English football fans descend on Porto for Champions League final

Stewards direct fans from two teams to opposite sides of airport

Manchester City fans gather in Porto’s city centre (Adam Davy/PA)

English football fans have descended on Porto as the city prepares to host the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City.

Around 40 flights from England were expected to land in the city during the day, with the first fans having arrived at 8.40am.

Upon arrival, stewards directed fans from the two teams to opposite sides of the airport, where rows of buses waited to drive them to the city centre where fan zones had been set up.

Before the bus journey, fans received a bright yellow bracelet to show they had tested negative for Covid-19.

Some 16,500 fans will be allowed into the stadium, but many others have come to support their teams from the outside.

The fan zones each have the capacity for 6,000 people. From 8am to 6pm, they will only be open to ticket holders who will then be transported to the stadium for the match, which kicks off at 8pm.

Consumption of beer is allowed inside the fan zones and all supporters must present a negative Covid-19 test to gain access. The zones will open to those without a ticket after 6pm and big screens have been put up so they can watch the game.

"Hopefully that plane is bouncing on the way back," said Manchester City fan Neal, who travelled to Porto with his father and will head back home in the early hours of Sunday on a charter flight. "It's a great atmosphere."

"We will enjoy the sunshine, the hospitality... we love this city," said Chelsea fan Chris, who said he had received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

There have been concerns the event could fuel a spike in coronavirus cases after Portuguese authorities decided to relax Covid-19 rules for the match. Portugal is on the British government's "green" list allowing tourists to visit the country without quarantining on their return.

There were several violent clashes between Chelsea and Manchester City fans on Friday, as hundreds of supporters flooded the bars by the Douro river, drinking beer and chanting team slogans as police officers kept watch.

Footage shared on social media shows fans chanting and fighting in the streets and throwing chairs at one another.

Locals were seen attempting to intervene before police eventually broke up the violence. There have been no reports of any arrests.

Mayor of Porto Rui Moreira said one person was taken to hospital but their injuries are "nothing serious".

He told Sky Sports News: "As far as I know, and I spoke with the police this morning, it was nothing serious.

"We had to shut down the bars and the pubs because that's the law, the curfew law, by 10.30pm people had to leave.

"Between the fans, there was some aggression. One guy went to hospital, it was nothing serious, no arrests. People went to their hotels and it always happens. We have this experience also with our national games.

"You can't change it, that's life, but nothing that concerns us so far."

Additional reporting by agencies