Picture Credit: UEFA
The Round of 16 stage of UEFA Champions League 2021-22 finally kicked off this week as the world of football awaits an exciting couple of months of action before the grand finale this year. However, a big issue has now raised regarding the venue of this year's UCL final.
With the match scheduled to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, UEFA have been forced to monitor the situation and come up with a contingency plan considering the ongoing activities in the country. Notably, Russia has sent troops to couple of regions in eastern Ukraine and there are concerns that an invasion might take place.
Amid the ongoing situation, several countries have voiced their opinion against Russia's move and there are talks that authorities don't want such a big sporting event to take place in the country. While UEFA have not yet announced any official decision, they have reportedly starting looking for other alternatives and are playing a waiting game currently, hoping for the situation to improve.
While speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that here was absolutely no chance of holding football tournaments in a Russia that invades sovereign countries. Meanwhile, in conversation with BBC Sport, former UK sports minister Tracey Crouch also went on to say that UEFA should move the final [from Russia] immediately.
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It is indeed going to be very intriguing to see the possible alternative venues if the UCL final, scheduled to take place on May 28, is actually shifted from Russia. In that case, England and Portugal could be the two likely contenders while a few more options could be put into the fray. However, as of now, the venue for UCL final remains St. Petersburg, Russia but next few days could see things take a dramatic turn.
