Russia has agreed a deal with Uefa to free English football supporters from the need to obtain visas to travel to Moscow for the Champions League final. In an unprecedented move, President Putin authorised a scheme to allow fans to use their match ticket as a visa to enter Russia for 72 hours.

The decision ends the uncertainty over the ability of the Russian Embassy in London to process as many visa applications in three weeks as it normally handles in a year. Up to 50,000 fans are expected to travel to Moscow for the final at the Luzhniki Stadium between Manchester United and Chelsea on May 21.

Fans who travel to Russia from May 19 will be exempt from visa regulations on arrival in Moscow provided they have a match ticket.The Times disclosed last week that high-level discussions were taking place within the Kremlin over a goodwill gesture to ensure the success of the country's biggest sporting event since the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Michel Platini, the Uefa president, hailed the agreement as “great news for football fans”.

More than a thousand fans who have paid upwards of £65 for visas will lose out, however. The Russian National Tourist Office, the private company given exclusive rights to process supporters' visas by the Russian Embassy, says it will not issue refunds.

The deal will place the British Government under pressure to reciprocate after Zenit St Petersburg reached next week's Uefa Cup final against Rangers at the City of Manchester Stadium. The British Embassy has doubled the number of officials working on visas in Russia to cope with 10,000 applications from Zenit fans. As things stand, those supporters must pay £70 each to obtain a visa.