🏟 UEFA to trial safe standing in European competitions | OneFootball

UEFA has confirmed that it will trial safe standing in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League for the upcoming 2022/23 season.

The trial will only take place at stadiums in England, Germany and France, the only current countries amongst UEFA’s top five nations where safe-standing is currently in operation.

Unveiling what is being titled Standing Facilities Observer Programme, the organisation revealed it will use the test to “observe the use of such facilities in domestic as well as international club competition matches”.

The desire for safe standing across English football has crept up in recent times, with certain sections across the majority of Premier League stadiums made ‘standing sections’ for the first time in decades last season.

An official UEFA statement read: “UEFA has announced today the launch of a programme to observe the use of standing facilities for general admission spectators attending matches of clubs participating in its men’s club competitions during the upcoming 2022-23 season.

“While UEFA regulations only permit seated places to be used for its competitions, except for those competitions where Category 1 stadiums may be used, an increasing trend towards the use of standing facilities in some domestic competitions has been observed in recent years.”

It’s the first time safe standing will be allowed a UEFA competition game since 1988, where a ban was brought in following the Heysel stadium diaster.