UEFA Champions League final venue shifted from St. Petersburg to Paris amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

The biggest game in European club football was to take place at the Gazprom Arena on May 28 but now the final has been shifted to Stade de France stadium.

The UEFA Champions League draw representation; Credit: Twitter/@ChampionsLeague
By Sreejith C R | Feb 25, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The UEFA, the governing body of European football, has decided to shift the final of the Champions League from St. Petersburg, Russia to Paris because of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The biggest game in European club football was to take place at the Gazprom Arena on May 28 but now the final has been shifted to Stade de France stadium.

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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin quickly called an extraordinary meeting for Friday morning amid the escalating situation in Ukraine. The UEFA, in a statement, thanked the French President Emmanuel Macron for agreeing to host the final. It also noted that the Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams will be required to play at neutral venues in European Competitions until further notice. 

According to the mirror.co.uk website, the UEFA statement read: “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 UEFA Executive 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 UEFA Executive Committee further determined to remain on standby to convene further extraordinary meetings, on a regular ongoing basis where required, to reassess the legal and factual situation as it evolves and adopt further decisions as necessary.”





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