February 24, (THEWILL) – The Champions League final will most likely be shifted away from the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, as a result of the Vladimir Putin-sanctioned attacks on Ukraine with a special meeting called by UEFA.
On Friday morning, the Executive Committee, led by President Aleksander Ceferin, will convene to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the goal “to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions.”
Overnight, the Russian President ordered a “specialised military invasion” of Ukraine, with subsequent attacks in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odessa – an assault that Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, described as a “full scale invasion.”
The pressure on UEFA to strip Russia of hosting the Champions League final, which is set to take place in Saint Petersburg at the end of May, has increased in recent days, and a statement has confirmed that a meeting will take place on Friday morning.
The statement read in part: “Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA president has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee …. in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions.”
There are indications that a decision to transfer the game has already been taken, with West Ham’s London Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur’s self-named stadium both being mentioned as potential locations.
FIFA is also facing requests to exclude Russia from the World Cup qualifying play-offs, which are set to take place at the end of March and will pit them against Poland.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
