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UEFA have moved this season’s Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris after Russia invaded Ukraine.
In response to the major military assault, a host of countries have hit Vladimir Putin’s nation with a range of sanctions.
And UEFA decided there was no way the European football showpiece could be staged on Russian soil on May 28 during an emergency meeting this morning.
The event will now be held at the Stade de France, which has twice hosted the Champions League final — Arsenal’s heartbreaking defeat to Barcelona took place there in 2006, as did Real Madrid’s win over Valencia six years earlier.
The 81,000-seater arena was also the venue for the climax of Euro 2016 and the 1998 World Cup, with the French taking part in both.
Les Bleus beat Brazil 3-0 for a famous triumph in the latter but fell to Portugal six years ago in a major shock.
A UEFA statement confirmed: “The UEFA executive committee today held an extraordinary meeting following the grave escalation of the security situation in Europe.
“UEFA wish to express thanks and appreciation to French 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, it was 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.”
After Boris Johnson declared there was “no chance of holding football tournaments in a Russia that invades sovereign countries”, culture secretary Nadine Dorries echoed the British PM’s view.
She said: “We won’t allow Putin to exploit events on the world stage to legitimise his illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
