The UEFA, the governing body of European football, has decided to shift the final of the Champion League out of St. Petersburg, Russia due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The final will now be played Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.
The decision was made in an Executive Committee meeting on Friday. UEFA, in a statement, thanked the French President Emmanuel Macron for agreeing to host the final. It also noted that the Russian and Ukrainian clubs "will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice."
The time and date of the final remain unchanged.
"The UEFA Executive Committee decided to relocate the final of the 2021/22 UEFA Men’s Champions League from Saint Petersburg to Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The game will be played as initially scheduled on Saturday 28 May at 21:00 CET," the governing body said in a statement.
"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 statement read further.
"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," said UEFA.