Champions League Cup (Photo: Shatterstock)
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are also affecting the world of football: the UEFA is considering transferring the Champions League final this season to another stadium in Europe, instead of the currently planned stadium in Russia – the British media reported today (Tuesday) due to growing fears of Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions That the West is likely to impose on Moscow if it does.
According to the original plan, the Champions League final is scheduled to take place this year on May 28 at the Gazprom Arena Stadium in St. Petersburg. However, the European Football Association is expected to decide on the transfer of the host stadium outside Russia in case it invades Ukraine, due to the fear of the fighting continuing in the coming months. Last month UEFA said there was no intention to move the final from Russia, but now, with the escalation in eastern Ukraine, the issue seems to be being reconsidered.
Will lose the final? Gazprom Arena Stadium in St. Petersburg (Photo: Shatterstock)
According to reports, the leading candidate to receive the final match in case it is decided to move it is Wembley Stadium in London, which already hosted the Euro final last year and is currently set to host the 2024 Champions League final. It was also reported that if all four English teams – Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool – advance to the quarter-finals, this will increase the chances of change.
If the final match is indeed transferred from Russia, this will be the third time in a row that the position of the Champions League final changes from the original plan during the season. As you may recall, the final game in 2020 was supposed to take place in Istanbul, but following the eruption of the corona in Turkey it was decided to move it to Lisbon instead. St. Petersburg was originally scheduled to host the final last year, but the Corona once again caused the game to move to the Drago Stadium in Porto.
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