“It’s a shame that such a decision has been made. St. Petersburg could have provided the ideal conditions for holding such a football festival.”, these are the words of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov after UEFA’s decision to change the stadium that will host the 2021/2022 Champions League final, initially scheduled for the Gazprom Arena (Saint Petersburg) before finally taking place at the Stade de France (Saint-Denis). The Dionysian lair had not organized the final of the Big Ears Cup since the 2005/2006 edition, won by FC Barcelona at the expense of Arsenal (2-1).
Through a press release published on Friday, the Russian federation (RFS) also expressed its incomprehension regarding this change in the body of European football: “We believe that the decision to postpone the venue for the Champions League final was dictated by political reasons. The RAF still adheres to the principle ‘sport is outside of politics’, and therefore cannot support this decision. (…) We are always ready to provide all the necessary guarantees for holding international football matches in Russia – with a high level of organization and security.”
