UEFA has moved the 2022 Champions League final to Paris, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The final had been scheduled to take place at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg on May 28, but given the events of recent days has now been moved to the the Stade de France.
UEFA have released a statement confirming the change, citing the ‘grave escalation of the security situation in Europe’ behind the decision.
“The UEFA Executive Committee today held an extraordinary meeting following the grave escalation of the security situation in Europe,” the statement reads.
“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.”
Sky Sports are also reporting that UEFA are coming under pressure to cut ties with Gazprom, the energy company – owned in majority by the Russian government – which serves as one of their leading sponsors.
The deal is worth around €40m a year and was last renewed in May. The pressure comes after Bundesliga side Schalke announced that they were removing the Gazprom logo from their shirts, whilst Manchester United are expected to end their partnership with Russian airline, Aeroflot.
