Response to war in Ukraine
UEFA deprives St. Petersburg of the Champions League final
02/24/2022 1:49 p.m
UEFA will deprive Russia’s St. Petersburg of the Champions League final. Due to the Russian attack on Ukraine, this decision is to be made at a special session tomorrow, Friday.
The final of the Champions League should not take place in St. Petersburg, the European Football Union UEFA will withdraw the final from the host. The news agencies SID and AP report this unanimously. The reason is Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The withdrawal is to be made tomorrow, Friday, at a special meeting of the Executive Committee. The premier class final was scheduled for May 28 in the home of President Vladimir Putin. UEFA denied moving the final to ntv.de on Monday after the escalation in Ukraine. The Russian state-owned company Gazprom is one of UEFA’s biggest sponsors.
Further information on the procedure “will be announced after the UEFA Executive Committee meeting,” it said. In DFB interim president Rainer Koch and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the former CEO of Bayern Munich, there are also two German representatives on the executive committee.
According to information from the Press Association, UEFA is already working on emergency plans with a view to the game. The final venue had to be changed in the past two seasons due to the corona pandemic. A venue in England is currently under discussion, especially if two Premier League clubs make it to the final. However, two top arenas are already scheduled for that day. Wembley Stadium is set to host the second tier play-off final and the modern Tottenham Arena is set to host a rugby final. The Olympic Stadium, where West Ham United plays, is also under discussion.
Criticism from EU parliamentarians
So far, no official changes have been planned for games in the Europa League involving Russian teams. UEFA is “in close contact with the national associations and clubs concerned,” it said on Monday: “All games will currently take place as planned.” Two Russian teams remain in the competition in Zenit St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow.
UEFA had previously received powerful criticism for sticking to St. Petersburg. “We call on you to stop considering St. Petersburg and other Russian cities as venues for international football competitions,” read a letter from a group of MEPs to UEFA. In addition, the cooperation with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom as a UEFA sponsor should be ended. In addition, sanctions against Russian officials “who are complicit in violating international law” are to be considered.
The chairman of the Sports Committee of the Bundestag, Frank Ullrich, also indicated the consequences. “The crisis turned into a war,” said the former biathlon Olympic champion and current Thuringian SPD deputy to Reuters. “The consequences that must now be drawn in the areas of politics, business and sport are now unavoidable and the Russian government is responsible for them alone.”
