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Russia has been stripped of hosting the Champions League final by UEFA on February 25. Paris has replaced St. Petersburg as the venue for the final.
The decision was taken in the meeting of UEFA executive committee following the wide-ranging attack launched by Russia on Ukraine on February 24 (Thursday).
“UEFA wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to French Republic President Emmanuel Macron for his personal support and commitment to have European club football’s most prestigious game moved to France at a time of unparalleled crisis,” European football’s governing body said in a statement.
“Together with the French government, UEFA will fully support multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure the provision of rescue for football players and their families in Ukraine who face dire human suffering, destruction and displacement.”
The final scheduled to be played on May 28 will have a maximum attendance of 80,000 at Stade de France. In addition, the clashes between clubs of Ukraine and Russia in UEFA competitions will be played at neutral venues until further notice.
The 68,000-capacity St. Petersburg stadium was originally picked in 2019 to host the final in 2021. However, the final was postponed by one year due to Covid-19 pandemic's effect on world football around the world.
The St. Petersburg stadium is named for Russian state-owned energy firm Gazprom, which is also a top-tier UEFA sponsor of the Champions League and European Championship.
UEFA executive committee member Alexander Dyukov is the CEO of a Gazprom subsidiary.
“UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine," the governing body earlier said in a statement.
