Manchester City FC has announced that His Highness Sheikh Mansour will fund the flight and transfer costs for the Official Club trip to the Champions League Final in Porto at the end of the month. 

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. 

Cognisant of how the pandemic has affected all Manchester City supporters and has created an increase in travel costs, Sheikh Mansour has sought to remove the most significant financial barrier to fans attending the final.

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.

Speaking about the initiative, His Highness Sheikh Mansour said:

“Pep 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.” 

Commenting on the impact of His Highness’ gesture, Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said:

“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.”

Further detailed information relating to travel arrangements and the process for purchasing match tickets will be released later today.