It is confirmed that the 2022 EUFA Champions League now will be held in Paris after it got removed from being played in Russia like it was initially planned. This big decision was made as a punishment for Russia after the recent invasion of Ukraine that in fact is still happening right this second. This is a very drastic change made for the game.
Aleksander Ceferin who is the UEFA president has as fast as possible to hold a meeting to discuss this particular matter. Everything happened during the tense situation that happened in Ukraine. Club and the national team for Russia and Ukraine are only playing neutral venues in European competitions until the next notice is announced.
According to the statement on the UEFA website that stated, “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”.
They also added, “UEFA wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to the 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. 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”.
Sources: UEFA, Irish Mirror, Mirror.