UEFA Changes Venue Of Champions League From Russia To France
UEFA has changed the venue of the 2022 Champions League final in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.
The match was due to take place at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg on May 28.
According to reports, UEFA came under pressure and moved the game to France after Russia attacked Ukraine. In a statement, UEFA said:
The UEFA Executive Committee today held an extraordinary meeting following the grave escalation of the security situation in Europe. “The UEFA Executive Committee decided to relocate the final of the 2021/22 UEFA Men’s Champions League from Saint Petersburg to Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
The game will be played as initially scheduled on Saturday 28 May at 21:00 CET.
UEFA wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to French Republic President Emmanuel Macron for his personal support and commitment to have European club football’s most prestigious game moved to France at a time of unparalleled crisis.
Together with the French government, UEFA will fully support multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure the provision of rescue for football players and their families in Ukraine who face dire human suffering, destruction and displacement.
At today’s meeting, the committee also decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams competing in UEFA competitions will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.
The tournament is now in the Round of 16 stage after the games resumed in mid-February.
Last season’s final was switched from Istanbul to Porto just three weeks before kick-off after the Turkish city was placed on the COVID-19 red list, meaning supporters were unable to travel.
