The Kremlin judged Friday “a pity” the decision taken by UEFA to transfer the final of the Champions League from Saint Petersburg to the Stade de France, in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
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“It’s a pity that such a decision was taken,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “St. Petersburg could have provided the ideal conditions for holding such a football festival,” he added.
For his part, the president of the Russian Football Federation, Alexander Dioukov, considered that the decision of UEFA had been “dictated by political motives”.
“The Russian Football Federation has always adhered to the principle that + sport is outside of politics + and therefore cannot support this decision” to move the Champions League final, he added, quoted in a press release from his federation.
This “violates the principles of sport and violates the interests of players, coaches and supporters”, tackled the president of the Russian Federation.
UEFA announced Friday that this match, the most prestigious in the annual calendar of European football, would be played on May 28 at the Stade de France, near Paris, and not in Saint Petersburg as planned.
Europe’s football governing body, which “strongly condemned Russia’s military invasion” of Ukraine, met urgently on Thursday.
Another decision taken by the executive committee, the organization on neutral ground of international home matches of Ukrainian and Russian clubs or selections, “until further notice”.
This concerns in particular Spartak Moscow, competing in the Europa League, or the match of the French Espoirs in Ukraine on March 29, but not the play-off for the World Cup-2022 between Russia and Poland scheduled for March 24 in Moscow, which depends on FIFA.