UEFA called an emergency meeting after the start of the armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia during the early hours of this Thursday.
The European football body will have to discuss the change of venue for the Champions League final which was scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
“Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the UEFA President has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for 10:00 am on Friday 25 February.in order to assess the situation and make all the necessary decisions,” UEFA reported via Twitter.
It would not be the first time that the venue has been changed in recent years. Lisbon and Porto have been the cities that have hosted the Champions League finals in the last two editions, after it could not be held in Istanbul (Turkey) due to the covid pandemic. Istanbul will host the final in 2023.
Another of UEFA’s problems is that one of the sponsors of the continental tournament is Gazprom, which has been one of the financial supporters of the competition since 2012. Gazprom is the main sponsor of Zenit, Schalke 04 and Red Star Belgrade.
Schalke 04 from Germany has been one of the first teams to take the step after the resignation of Matthias Warnig, who had been a member of the committee since July 2019 as a co-opted member, sent by main sponsor Gazprom.
“Once all the necessary paperwork has been completed, Warnig will no longer be a member of the Royal Blues supervisory board. FC Schalke 04 would like to thank Matthias Warnig for his personal commitment to the club over the last two and a half years.
UEFA will also have to decide if and when the World Cup repechage matches will be played. Ukraine will face Scotland, while the Russian team will face Poland.
On Friday, the European institution announced that it will inform its decisions for the future of the Champions League and the rest of the competitions that involve both countries.
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Source-laopinion.com