UEFA has announced that they will have an extraordinary meeting on Friday morning, to talk about the critical situation in Ukraine.
The Associated Press (AP) is already reporting that UEFA has decided that the Champions League final will be moved away from the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg at the end of May.
Several supporter groups and the British government have put pressure on UEFA to move the match away from Russia.
“On this tragic day, our thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine. Our friends, colleagues, members and loved ones. Given the situation, we expect an immediate announcement from UEFA about moving the Champions League final, “wrote Fans Supporters Europe.
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Moving to the Champions League final has already been a topic for a few days.
This will not be the first time a Champions League final has been moved at short notice. It also happened in 2020, when Istanbul was to host the final at Ataturk. The corona situation in the country made it impossible, and the final was played at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. In 2021, the final was to be played at the Gasprom Arena in St. Petersburg, but this was moved a year, and the final this year was played at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto. This was supposed to be the year where one was back to normal and the assigned stadiums, but it is now ready to be a change. According to The Times, UEFA can wait until the semi-finals have been played, and then choose the stadium that best suits both finalists, having previously shown that they can move such a huge match at short notice.
The Times reports that London, Munich, Istanbul, Lisbon and Madrid are now the cities being considered. A decision can be made as early as Friday.
To host a Champions League final, you must have five stars in UEFA’s ranking system in Europe. To qualify for five stars, the city must have an airport that has the capacity to accommodate at least 80 additional charter flights in one day, and there must be a hotel capacity with at least 1,000 beds in five-star hotels. The tall men in UEFA and their sponsors have some big demands.
To get to the final, there must be room for at least 60,000 spectators, but facilities that take 70,000 and more are preferred.
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