The Executive Committee of UEFA has moved the final of the 2022 Champions League from St Petersburg to Paris. This follows the escalation of crisis as Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine in a military offensive on Thursday.

The European club football final will now be held at Stade de France in the French capital on May 28.

UEFA also decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams would no longer play their home games at home but on neutral grounds until further notice.

This decision is set to affect Spartak Moscow in the current Europa League campaign and both the Ukraine and Russian national teams in the upcoming 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League set to kick-off in June. 

An official statement from UEFA on Friday morning read, “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 at 21:00 CET.

“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.”