Following an emergency meeting of its executive committee, UEFA has decided to strip Saint Petersburg of the hosting rights for the 2022 Champions League final. The move comes after Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday.
The UCL finals were set to take place at the Krestovsky Stadium on May 28th, however UEFA will now begin a search for a new venue. Their executive committee is expected to meet again on Friday to determine a new location for the finals, as well as the involvement of Russian teams in the competition.
In a statement posted to UEFA’s social media pages, the organization announced that “Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the UEFA president has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for 10 a.m. CET [4 a.m. ET] on Friday 25 February, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions.
“Further communication will be made after the meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee.”
In addition to the UCL announcement, reports also indicate that FIFA is also keeping a close eye on the conflict and could impose sanctions or outright removal of the Russian national team which is vying for a spot in the World Cup. Russia is slated to take on Poland in Moscow next month, however that match is suddenly very much up in the air.
On the other side of things, Ukraine was also scheduled to take on Scotland in late March, however there may be accommodations made for their national team should things continue to escalate in Eastern Europe.
Numerous airlines in Europe have already announced travel and flight restrictions to and from Russia and Ukraine, with reports that Russia could “restrict its airspace” as a countermeasure to any economic sanctions foreign countries put on them.
No new venue has currently been confirmed for the UCL championship game.