UEFA has called an "extraordinary meeting" on Friday to discuss whether Russia should be stripped of the Champions League final due to the escalating situation in Ukraine.
Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an all-out military operation in Ukraine, UEFA Chief Aleksander Ceferin called for an 'extraordinary meeting' on Friday (February 25) to discuss if the Champions League final should be moved away from Russia due to escalating tensions. The Champions League final is scheduled to be held at Zenit St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena on May 28.
Also read: Ukraine tweets caricature showing Hitler approves Putin's invasion; sparks reactions
In a statement issued on Thursday, European football's governing body said, "Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA President has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for Friday, February 25 at 10:00 CET, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions."
"Further communication will be made after the meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee," UEFA added.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Premier League season has been suspended for 30 days following Russia's attack on Ukraine. In a brief statement, the league said the suspension was due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to impose martial law but did not give any planned date to resume.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine crisis: Chelsea's Roman Abramovich barred from living in Britain?
"Due to the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, the championship of Ukraine has been suspended," a UPL statement read.
There are also doubts if Ukraine's FIFA World Cup 2022 play-off match against Scotland in Glasgow will take place as planned on March 24.
Earlier today, Ukraine's footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko has claimed that Instagram deleted his story post, which said he hoped Russian President Vladimir Putin would suffer the 'most painful suffering death' after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion on his country.
In an Instagram story, the Manchester City defender had posted a photo of Vladimir Putin with a caption that read: I hope you die the most painful suffering death, creature.
The story, which has now been taken down, has forced Zinchenko to claim that the social media platform deleted his post in what appears to be a move of censorship of the Ukraine international.
On Tuesday, Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick stated that de-escalating the Russia-Ukraine situation is more important than a Champions League game. This comment from the German came amidst the ongoing debate over moving the May 28 final away from Russia's Saint Petersburg.
Meanwhile, Russian chess great Gary Kasparov, who is now a politician and has been a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, slammed the Ukrainian invasion, adding that those who supported, appeased or ignored the Russian leader must be ashamed of creating a monster. Read More
