Chronicle Editor
UEFA has stripped St Petersburg of the Champions League Final following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — with the game relocating to Paris.
The match, due to take place on May 28, will now be held at the Stade de France.
It is the second time the final will take place at the French stadium — with the first coming 16 years ago when Barcelona beat Arsenal.
European football chiefs had been preparing the ground for a decision over the showpiece, with London among one of the alternative venues.
But the scale of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced the issue with Uefa recognising immediate action needed to be taken.
Uefa bosses held intensive talks on Friday and came to the conclusion that it had to be moved.
And that will also ramp up the heat on Fifa to act and kick Russia out of their World Cup play-off with Poland, due to be played in Moscow on March 24.
Polish FA chiefs have already signalled their “concerns” at the prospect of being made to play in Moscow after the country’s government condemned Russia’s aggression.
But it now appears impossible for the match to take place as scheduled — and increasingly unlikely that other nations will accept Russia’s continued involvement in football.
That could see Uefa being urged to ban ALL Russian club sides.
But Uefa is also now under pressure to rip up it’s Champions League sponsorship contract with Gazprom.
The crisis that is enveloping Europe now means sport — and football in particular — is a key actor in the scenario.
Germany and Japan were both banned from entering qualification for the 1950 World Cup in the aftermath of World War Two.
And South Africa was kicked out of Fifa in 1961, spending 35 years in the wilderness as the game sanctioned the Apartheid regime.
Earlier this week, members of the European Parliament wrote to Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin, telling him: “Uefa must act now.”
— Reuters
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