St. Petersburg stripped of the Champions League final .. and a neutral ground for the matches of Russia and Ukraine

The world of sports lifted the sword of sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine. Today, the European Football Association stripped Saint Petersburg of hosting the Champions League final and awarded it to the French capital, Paris, and decided to hold the continental matches of Russia and Ukraine on neutral ground.

The final match of the most important continental competition will be held on May 28 at the Stade de France stadium, located in the suburb of Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

It previously hosted the 2006 final that Barcelona won, and before that the 2000 final that crowned the other Spanish giant, Real Madrid.

The Kremlin described UEFA's decision as "unfortunate", and Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Saint Petersburg would have provided ideal conditions for a similar football festival."

The head of the Russian Football Federation, Alexander Dyukov, said the decision was "dictated by political motives," adding that it "violates the principles of sport and the interests of players, coaches and fans."

Yesterday, the Confederation of African Football (Wifa) called for an emergency meeting to "evaluate the situation" and "take all necessary decisions" regarding Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, stressing that it "strongly condemns" the invasion.

And the European Union had previously moved the last two Champions League finals due to the Corona virus pandemic from the Turkish city of Istanbul to Lisbon and Porto in Portugal in 2020 and 2021.

France hosted the final five times previously, in 1956, 1975 and 1981 at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, and in 2000 and 2006 in the Stade de France, which has a capacity of eighty thousand spectators and hosted the 1998 World Cup final. UEFA thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his "personal support and commitment By moving the match “during an unprecedented crisis.”

The Champions League final was last held in Russia in 2008, when Manchester United beat fellow Chelsea on penalties at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

It was scheduled to host Russia, where the last World Cup was held in 2018, the Champions League final at the "Gazprom Arena" in the country's second city, Saint Petersburg, which also hosted matches during the last European Cup last summer.

It is reported that the Continental Football Association has a major sponsorship deal with the Russian energy giant Gazprom, which is close to the Kremlin.

The European Union supported the stakeholders' efforts to "help football players and their families in Ukraine", noting that Brazilian players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev requested assistance Thursday on social media.

UEFA also decided that the European home matches of Russian and Ukrainian clubs and teams would be held on neutral territory “until further notice.” The European Union said in a statement, “The Executive Committee of the European Union has decided to hold the home matches of Russian and Ukrainian clubs and teams in European competitions on neutral ground until further notice.”

This is related to the Spartak Moscow club, which qualified for the round of 16 in the European League (European League), and the draw took place on Friday against Leipzig, Germany, but not the qualifying match for the World Cup Qatar 2022 against Poland, which is scheduled in Moscow on March 24, because the fate of this match is linked to By decision of the International Football Association Board (FIFA).

The Swiss-Italian FIFA President Gianni Infantino had expressed concern over the "tragic and frightening" situation in Ukraine, saying, "FIFA condemns Russia's use of force. Violence is never a solution. We call on all parties to establish security through constructive dialogue."

And the International Federation warned in a statement that "FIFA will continue to monitor the situation and developments related to the World Cup qualifiers and will be announced in due course."

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