The Champions League final will now be held in Paris, UEFA have confirmed, after they stripped St Petersburg, Russia of the final in May.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in recent days, UEFA held an ‘extraordinary meeting’ to discuss the venue for the final on May 28, which saw St Petersburg stripped of its hosting rights.
Many locations and venues were in the running, but should Chelsea reach May’s final, they will make the trip to Paris to Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
In a statement released on Friday morning, UEFA said: “The UEFA Executive Committee today held an extraordinary meeting following the grave escalation of the security situation in Europe.
“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.
“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. 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.
“At today’s meeting, the UEFA Executive Committee also decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams competing in UEFA competitions will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice. The UEFA Executive Committee further determined to remain on standby to convene further extraordinary meetings, on a regular ongoing basis where required, to reassess the legal and factual situation as it evolves and adopt further decisions as necessary.”
Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel will be looking to retain their crown following triumph in Porto last season, a venue which was also moved at late notice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
