UEFA Moves Champions League Final From Russia To France
UEFA has moved this year’s Champions League final from St Petersburg in Russia to the Stade de France in Paris after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European football’s governing body said in a statement on Friday.
UEFA also said the home games of Ukrainian and Russian club and national teams competing in UEFA competitions would be played at neutral venues “until further notice”. The governing body also thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his “personal support and commitment” in taking on the final.
The statement added that UEFA would “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”.
The 2021/22 #UCLfinal will move 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.
Full statement ⬇️
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 25, 2022
The Champions League final was set to be staged at Zenit St Petersburg’s St Petersburg stadium on May 28 with thousands of supporters from across the continent expected to attend the showcase match in European club football.
“It’s a shame that such a decision has been made. St. Petersburg could have provided all favourable conditions to hold this festival of soccer,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
- Read more: UEFA to hold emergency meeting as Russia invades Ukraine
- Read more: Russia Should Not Host Champions League Final – British Prime Minister
The move to strip St Petersburg of the final follows calls from a group of European lawmakers who asked UEFA on Thursday to change the venue and stop considering Russian cities for major international soccer competitions.
The 2023 Champions League final is set to be contested in Istanbul with Wembley in London hosting the following year and Munich’s Allianz Arena the venue for the final in 2025.
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters/UEFA.
