UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, on Friday revealed that the Champions League final, the biggest match in European club soccer, will not be played in St. Petersburg, Russia.
UEFA stripped Russia of hosting honors following the Russian-led invasion of Ukraine early Thursday.
The game, set for May 28, was to be played in a stadium financed by the Russian energy giant Gazprom, one of UEFA’s major sponsors.
Following an emergency board meeting on Friday, UEFA picked Paris as the alternative location for the match, which will be held in the 80,000-seat Stade de France stadium.
“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,” the group 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.”
UEFA had long resisted taking any measure to sanction Russia even when, earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally recognized two rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine as independent republics and moved armed forces into the region.
UEFA still has to decide whether Russian teams still in club competitions will be allowed to continue playing. Zenit on Thursday was set to play the second game of a playoff against Real Betis in Spain in the Europa League, Europe’s second-tier club tournament.
There is also growing speculation that calls for sanctions against prominent Russian businesses and oligarchs in response to the Ukraine invasion could target Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns Chelsea football club, last year’s Champions League winners
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