UEFA are set to move the Champions League final away from Saint Petersburg after Russia invaded Ukraine as per Marca. Europe’s chief footballing body will wait to see how the armed conflict evolves before making a final decision on which city is going to host the continent’s elite club competition.
Lisbon and Porto have hosted the last two finals even through Istanbul was the designated city. The Coronavirus pandemic prevented the game from taking place in Turkey, however. Two Spanish clubs are in with a chance of making it to the final as things stand; Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also had a direct influence on the competition’s main sponsor, Gazprom. The company is owned by the Russian state and has been one of UEFA’s main sponsorship partners for a decade, since back in 2012. They also sponsor Zenit St. Petersburg, Schalke and Red Star Belgrade.
UEFA are also going to have to decide what to do with the World Cup play-offs set to take place between Ukraine and Scotland as well as Russia and Poland. The games were supposed to decide which nations made it through to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
