The British government appealed to the European Football Associations Federation (UEFA), on Tuesday, to withdraw the Champions League final from Russia to impose sanctions on Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has raised concerns about the European soccer final scheduled for St Petersburg on May 28, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin not to proceed with a full-blown invasion of Ukraine. Russia caused a sensation when it announced on Monday its recognition of the independence of the eastern regions of Ukraine.
“It is very important at this critical time that President Putin understands that what he is doing would be a disaster for Russia,” Johnson told the House of Commons.
“It’s going to end […] Russia is more isolated, Russia has pariah status, there is no chance to organize football tournaments in Russia that invades sovereign countries. »
UEFA has not issued any further statement since it raised its concerns on Monday. She revealed over the weekend that she was “consistently monitoring the situation closely” and had no plans to change the venue for the final. But a person familiar with the situation said the Ukraine crisis was addressed by UEFA’s leaders, including its president, Aleksander Ceferin.
UEFA had to move the Champions League final over the past two seasons, both times from Turkey to Portugal due to the pandemic. A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine would drastically change UEFA’s view that the final could still be played in Saint Petersburg.
With four representatives in the round of 16, England have the most teams competing in the Champions League. Tom Tugendhat, chair of the British Parliament’s foreign affairs committee in the House of Commons, has called on UEFA to withdraw the final from Russia. “It’s a shameful decision,” Tugendhat wrote on Twitter. UEFA must not cover up a violent dictatorship. »
The European Football Association (UEFA) separated the Ukrainian and Russian teams in a draw to prevent them from playing with each other since Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s gas company, Gazprom, has served as a Champions League sponsor since 2012 – the same year Ukraine co-hosted the European Championship with Russia. But the company’s logos were removed from UEFA’s “Festival of Champions” on Kiev’s main street when the Ukrainian capital hosted the 2018 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool.
