Wales-Belgium to kick-off on time despite Eurotunnel delays

Uefa has no intention of delaying Wales' Euro 2016 quarter-final against Belgium, despite issues on the Eurotunnel affecting a number of supporters' journey to Lille.

Friday evening will see the Welsh national team’s biggest match since the 1958 World Cup quarter-final against Pele’s Brazil.

Numerous supporters heading to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy fear they will miss the match due to delays on the Eurotunnel, which has warned travellers they should “expect delays throughout the day”.

Uefa still plans for the match to kick-off at 9pm local time but European football’s governing body is monitoring the situation.

“Uefa is aware of the current delays in the Eurotunnel and has gathered further information from the Welsh FA, local authorities and the tunnel operator,” a statement read.

“It appears that the vast majority of fans with tickets will arrive on time at the stadium in Lille.

“The match is therefore scheduled to go ahead as planned with a kick-off time of 21.00 CET.

“Uefa will continue to closely monitor any developments around this situation.”

Wales manager Chris Coleman had a message for supporters who are having issues at the Eurotunnel.

He said in a post on the Football Association of Wales’ official Facebook page: “The team and I are aware of the issues fans are experiencing at the Eurotunnel.

“We understand that the authorities are doing what they can to get fans to France. We know a lot of people have gone the extra mile to come over and your efforts at this frustrating time is very much appreciated.

“We know that we have your full support for tonight’s game.”