Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour will pay the travel costs of fans attending the Champions League final, the club have announced.

City have received an allocation of 6,000 tickets for the May 29 showpiece against Chelsea in Porto.

The club said additional costs – including Covid tests and inflated flight prices, would have made the trip ‘unmanageable’ for many supporters who had qualified for a ticket to Portugal. 

Manchester City have announced they will pay for the 6,000 fans travelling to the Champions League final in Porto

Owner Sheikh Mansour (centre) hopes to ease financial burden on fans after ‘challenging year’

‘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. 

Sheikh Mansour said: ‘Pep (Guardiola) 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.

‘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.’ 

Mansour said City were keen on having as many spectators at the game in Portugal as possible

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the gesture was a way to help fans focus on the game 

Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the club hoped the scheme would allow fans to focus on enjoying the match instead of worrying about how to pay for it.

‘The challenges faced by supporters ahead of this final are multiple, both in financial and logistical terms. 

‘Hopefully His Highness’ initiative allows the majority of our attending fans to focus on enjoying the day rather than worrying about how to bear the burden of travel costs which have become all the more onerous due to the effects of the pandemic.’ 

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Champions League final: Man City owner Sheikh Mansour will pay for the 6,000 fans to travel to Porto

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