UEFA Champions League Final Moved To France Amid Ukraine Invasion

Sports

UEFA has announced the Champions League Final will be moved from Saint Petersburg, Russia, to the Stade de France in Paris as Russia invades Ukraine.

The announcement says, “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.”

Russia’s invasion caused the Ukrainian Premier League, Ukraine’s national football league, to be put on a 30-day pause while martial law was introduced in the country.

UEFA’s statement says it will help facilitate the rescue of Ukrainian football players and their families fleeing the conflict. “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.”

Further details add, “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.”

There are also no Russian or Ukrainian teams capable of competing in this year’s Champions League Final.

This decision will bring a further economic hit to Russia, which is already being sanctioned by multiple countries during this invasion. According to The Mirror, “Staging the Champions League Final is said to be worth more than £60m ($80.2m US) to the host city.”