The Latest: Czech fans cancel charter flight to Baku

The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:

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A plan for a charter plane to take Czech fans to Baku for the European Championship quarterfinal match against Denmark on Saturday has been canceled.

There are no direct flights between Prague and Baku and there are strict coronavirus restrictions in place in Azerbaijan. Fans also would have to isolate on arrival home.

The Czech national team fan club says initially about 300 people wanted to make the trip to Baku despite the restrictions but in the end not enough were ready to go.

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Germany’s interior minister says it was “absolutely irresponsible” for UEFA to allow more than 40,000 fans into Wembley Stadium to watch England play Germany in London at the European Championship.

The crowd of 41,973 at Tuesday’s match was the biggest in Britain since the pandemic began and came while the more contagious delta variant is fueling a significant increase in new cases in the country.

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is also responsible for sports. He was asked about the attendance for the match and about the prospect of more fans attending the semifinals and final a Wembley.

He says “I think this UEFA position is absolutely irresponsible.”

Seehofer adds that he thinks money is driving the decision “and commerce must not outshine the protection of the population against infection.”

He also appealed to UEFA “not to push this off on local health authorities” and says the governing body of European soccer should say “we don’t want it this way and we’re reducing the numbers of spectators.”

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