Brentford fans in Hounslow advised not to attend playoff final not to travel to due to spread of Covid variant

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Some Brentford fans are being advised by Government not to travel to Saturday’s Championship Playoff Final at Wembley, due to the spread of the Indian Covid variant.

The London Borough of Hounslow, where the club is based, has been added to the Government’s list of areas where the variant is spreading fastest, with guidance urging people against all-but essential travel in or out of the borough.

Hounslow was placed on the list on Friday via an update on the Government website but no official announcement was made and the local council were not told in advance.

As a result, the change went largely unnoticed as more than 4,000 fans attended Saturday’s semi-final second leg against Bournemouth.

Many Brentford fans heading to Wembley this weekend will be unaffected, with large swathes of the club’s fanbase coming from neighbouring boroughs such as Ealing, Richmond-upon-Thames and Hammersmith & Fulham, and others based further afield, while the advised restrictions are simply guidance, rather than law.

Meanwhile, a petition to increase the capacity at Wembley for the clash against Swansea was this morning closing on 10,000 signatures, after both clubs issued a joint-plea to the government.

The national stadium welcomed more than 20,000 fans for the FA Cup final earlier this month and will do so again when the group stages of Euro 2020 begin next month.

However, because the playoff final has not been designated a test event, attendance is capped at 10,000, with each club receiving only around 4,000 tickets for general admission.

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