This season’s Champions League Final will be played in Paris, after UEFA this morning stripped St Petersburg of the game.
As the sporting world turned on Russia, UEFA made the decision at an extraordinary meeting of their executive committee, called in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The game will still be played on Saturday, May 28, but now at the Stade de France rather than Putin’s home city, following talks between UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and French president Emmanuel Macron. The UK Government hailed the decision.
UEFA also announced that domestic and international matches in European competitions will not be held in either Russia or Ukraine while the conflict continues, and they are set to launch an evacuation plan for more than 50 professional players in Ukraine.
There was no mention in the statement of their partnership with leading sponsor Gazprom, thought to be worth £33million a season, after German club Schalke announced yesterday that they are removing the Russian state-owned energy company’s logo from their shirts.
In other developments across the sporting world:
The Russian Grand Prix in Sochi in September has been cancelled after Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen led calls to boycott the race. Turkey is being lined up as a replacement.
Labour MP Chris Bryant called on the Government to seize Chelsea from owner Roman Abramovich, despite the Russian oligarch having so far escaped UK sanctions.
Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic demanded that FIFA move World Cup play-off games from Russia.
The Ukrainian FA called for Russia to be expelled from all competitions, while Ukraine was expected to be given a window in which to decide whether to continue with its World Cup qualifying campaign.
Vitali Klitschko, the former world heavyweight boxing champion and the current mayor of Kyiv, said that he is ready to join Ukrainian soldiers in fighting the Russian invasion. His brother Wladimir, 45, has enlisted in Ukraine’s reserve army.
Russian athletes are set to be allowed to compete at the Winter Paralympics.
Last night, Ukrainian player Ruslan Malinovskyi revealed a ‘No War’ T-shirt after scoring twice for Atalanta in their 3-0 Europa League win at Olympiacos.
Manchester United have ended their sponsorship deal with Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot.
