Uefa would not rule Wembley out of hosting the Champions League final despite the awful crowd trouble that marred the European Championship final as the governing body discusses how the evolving situation in Russia could impact the denouement of their marquee club competition.
The Champions League final was scheduled to take place in St Petersburg at the end of May, but with Russia deploying soldiers to two regions of eastern Ukraine held by rebels amid fears an invasion is imminent, Uefa is considering its options.
European football’s governing body could wait to see how the situation unfolds, safe in the knowledge that it has proven capabilities to switch the Champions League final to an alternative venue at the last minute, as has been in the case in the past two years due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The final is such a large-scale event that only a handful of cities have the capability to host it, including Turkey’s Istanbul, Portugal’s Porto, Germany’s Munich and Hungary’s Budapest.
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Mesut Ozil's agent has written a novel and it's grim reading for the football industry22 February, 2022England’s national stadium, Wembley, is also an option and i understands that the horrific crowd trouble at last year’s Euro 2020 final, between England and Italy, would not stop Uefa from deciding to stage the Champions League final there.
Last summer, thousands of ticketless supporters who were drunk or taken drugs, stormed the stadium and an investigation into the trouble ruled that it was fortunate that amid the stampedes somebody was not killed.
This season’s Champions League final is set to be played on Saturday 28 May meaning it would clash with the Championship and League Two play-off finals. But last year, when Wembley was under consideration to host the Champions League final after Turkey was moved to the UK’s red travel list at late notice, the English Football League was willing to reschedule their playoff finals to accommodate.
The game was, however, eventually switched from Istanbul to Porto’s Estádio do Dragão stadium, where Chelsea beat Manchester City.
Speaking on Tuesday in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that Russia should not be allowed to host marquee football matches, saying there was “no chance of holding football tournaments in a Russia that invades sovereign countries”.
UK government officials intend to raise their concerns with Uefa in discussions in which they will impress upon the governing body that Russia should not host the Champions League final.
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A government spokesperson said: “Russia’s actions last night are a flagrant breach of its international commitments that undermines its standing in the world.
“We have serious concerns about the hosting of international sporting events in Russia, such as the Champions League Final, and will discuss these with the relevant governing bodies.
“We will not allow President Putin to exploit sporting and cultural events on the world stage to legitimise his renewed illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Four English clubs still remain in this year’s competition.
Liverpool beat Inter Milan away from home and Manchester City thrashed Sporting Lisbon making them strong favourites to progress to the quarter-finals. Chelsea are favourites to progress against French side Lille, while Manchester United play against La Liga champions Atletico Madrid in Spain on Wednesday night.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/R96V3IE
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