The Champions League final was slated to be held in St. Petersburg, but amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, the fate of the final hangs in balance
The ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine has forced UEFA to reconsider its decision to host the Champions League final at St. Petersburg's Gazprom Arena on 28th May, later this year.
As per multiple reports, the governing body of European football is considering shifting the Champions League final to someplace else, in the wake of the recent tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
"Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA President has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for Friday 25 February at 10:00 CET, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions," UEFA said in a statement.
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The Champions League final is one of the biggest games in world football which attracts fans from all over the world. For the first time in 14 years, Russia was awarded the rights to host the Champions League final, but it seems after their invasion of Ukraine, the summit clash could be shifted to another venue.
In 2008, Manchester United defeated Chelsea in a nervy penalty shootout in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
If indeed this year's Champions League final is shifted, it would be the third consecutive time that the final will be rescheduled.
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Last year, Istanbul was slated to host the summit clash but with two English teams, Manchester City and Chelsea slated to contest in the fixture, and Turkey was in the UK's red-list of countries at the time, both teams would have to quarantine upon their return, and thus the final was ultimately played at Porto.
In 2020, owing to the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, knockout matches of the Champions League including the final was played at a single venue in Lisbon.
In a nutshell, UEFA are more likely to take away the duties of hosts from Russia after their invasion of Ukraine, while it remains to be seen which city will host the rescheduled summit clash.
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