View of the Saint-Denis stadium before the 2006 Champions League final match between Barcelona and Arsenal. /
In addition, the governing body of European football decides that all the matches of clubs and the selections of Russia and Ukraine will be played on a neutral field.
The war caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have consequences in the world of sport and has forced UEFA to change plans and take the venue for the Champions League final on May 28 from Saint Petersburg. which will be played at the Parisian stadium of Saint-Denis.
This is the third time in a row that the Champions League final has changed venue. Lisbon and Porto were the cities that hosted the last two editions, with triumphs for Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but on both occasions Istanbul was the place originally assigned. The pandemic prevented it from being held in the great Turkish city, which will host the 2023 final.
The decision to withdraw the final from this Russian city was a given, but there has been some surprise at the chosen venue. England, Spain and France were the favorite countries, but UEFA has ended up opting for the French capital. At the moment, France has the fewest clubs competing in the Champions League (PSG and Lille), so the Stade de France had more power options considered a neutral venue.
It will be the third Champins final to take place on this stage, a good memory for Spanish fans in general, although not so much for Valencia fans. There, Vicente del Bosque’s Real Madrid won the eighth after beating Héctor Cúper’s Levante team by a resounding 3-0 in 2000. Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman and Raúl González Blanco were the gunners. And six years later, Frank Rijkaard’s Barça defeated Arséne Wenger’s Arsenal 2-1. Sol Campbell put the Londoners ahead, but Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti came from behind late in the game. It was the second European Cup won by the Catalans.
Wembley was the stage that rang loudly, but it was ruled out because on the same dates it organizes the promotion phase from the Championship to the Premier League. In the case of the possible Spanish venues, their choice was very difficult as they had three teams still competing in the top continental competition. However, everything points to the initiative of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has been decisive for UEFA.
In the official statement sent this morning, the highest body in European football wanted to offer “its thanks and recognition to the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, his personal support and his commitment so that the most prestigious match in European club football moves to France at a time of unprecedented crisis.
Together with the French government, UEFA will fully support multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure the rescue of footballers and their families in Ukraine, “who face terrible human suffering, destruction and displacement.”
On the other hand, the UEFA Executive Committee has also taken advantage of its extraordinary meeting to decide what to do with the matches of the Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams. Finally, the institution chaired by the Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin has determined that all matches will be played at a neutral venue until further notice.
