Champions League final taken from Russia, sport world in chaos

A notorious Russian oligarch has been banned in the UK and the Champions League final stripped from Russia in a morning of chaos.

The Champions League final has reportedly been taken away from Russia following an extraordinary emergency meeting of UEFA officials.

European football’s governing body confirmed President Aleksander Ceferin summoned an “extraordinary meeting” of his ruling executive committee and reports claim it will soon be announced the biggest match in club football will be moved.

The showpiece game of European club football’s premier competition is scheduled to be played on May 28 at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, which already hosted several matches at last year’s European Championship and at the 2018 World Cup held in Russia.

The decision is one of many that has caused upheaval in the sporting world. In a morning of chaos:

— Chelsea’s Russian Oligarch owner Roman Abramovich was reportedly banned from living in Britain as a result him being classified a person “of interest” because of his links to “corrupt activity and practices” with senior Russian officials.

Russian billionaire oligarch and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich speaking to David Beckham.

— Formula 1 star Sebastian Vettel declared he will boycott the Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September if it goes ahead.

— Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is reportedly organising a crisis meeting with teams to discuss the potential suspension of the Russian Grand Prix.

— German football club Schalke 04 removed any sign of its major sponsor Gazprom from appearing on the club’s shirts. Gazprom is a Russian energy giant and is referred to as president Vladimir Putin’s “cash machine” with the state reportedly owning a controlling share in the business.

ℹ️ Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts. It will be replaced by lettering reading ‘Schalke 04’ instead.#S04pic.twitter.com/9kpJLRzTQ7

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) February 24, 2022

— Formula 1 team Haas has also removed all mention of its major sponsor and financial backer Uralkali, painting over signage and logos in the middle of the official pre-season testing event in Barcelona. Uralkali is a Russian fertilising giant controlled by Russian Dmitry Mazepin, who is considered a close ally of Putin. Since the team began its sponsorship deal with Haas, the Formula 1 team has changed its livery to reflect Russia’s white, blue and red national flag. Mazepin’s son Nikita Mazepin also drives for the team, AND

— European countries have publicly called on FIFA to move official World Cup qualifying matches outside of Russia.

It has been a day of frenzied reactions, with most sporting organisations making public shows of condemning Russia.

“UEFA shares the international community’s significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine,” UEFA said in a statement on Thursday.

“We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people.”

European football’s governing body also has a major sponsorship deal with Gazprom, the Russian state energy giant.

Gazprom advertising boards have featured heavily in international broadcasts of Champions League matches this month.

Tone deafness of Uefa looks so bad today. Gazprom advertising all over Champions League coverage. Final in St Petersburg. Tweeting 'happy Thursday' the day Ukraine gets invaded. Possibly the best example of Sportswashing in my lifetime

— Alex Terrell (@alxterrell) February 24, 2022

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed on Tuesday that Russia had “no chance” of holding European football’s showpiece game if it invaded Ukraine.

“A Russia that has pariah status — no chance of holding a football tournament in a Russia that invades sovereign countries,” Johnson said.

Earlier this week, the UK government’s foreign secretary Liz Truss said any English clubs who reach the Champions League final should boycott it if the event is held in Russia.

Abramavich locked out of UK

An incendiary security memo about the Russian billionaire was tabled during a parliamentary session on Friday with revelations UK border agencies have been tasked with stopping Abramovich from basing himself in Britain, The Sun reports.

“As part of HMGs Russia strategy, aimed at targeting illicit finance and malign activity, Abramovich remains of interest to HMG due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices,” Labour MP Chris Bryant said.

“An example of this is Abramovich admitting in court proceedings that he paid for political influence.

“Therefore HMG is focused on ensuring individuals linked to illicit finance and malign activity are unable to base themselves in the UK and will use the relevant tools at its disposal — including immigration powers — to prevent this.”

He said the government must consider seizing some of his assets and stopping him from owning football giant Chelsea.

London could be gifted Champions League final

There are currently four English Premier League clubs still involved in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League, including Chelsea and Manchester City, who contested last season’s final in Porto, Portugal.

UEFA has already moved the last two Champions League finals due to the Covid-19 pandemic from Istanbul to Lisbon in 2020, and then again from the Turkish city to Porto last year.

The latter move was made after the UK government placed Turkey on its coronavirus travel red list, meaning British football fans would not have been able to attend.

British media reports have suggested Wembley Stadium in London as a possible alternative venue for this season’s final, despite the Euro 2020 final there last year being plagued by fan trouble.

Barcelona and Napoli players displayed a banner that read 'STOP WAR' before their Europa League match. pic.twitter.com/TCYWiPLbij

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 24, 2022

The Champions League final was last staged in Russia in 2008, when Manchester United defeated Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.

Zenit Saint Petersburg, the reigning Russian champions and current league leaders, are still involved in UEFA competition this season and play Real Betis in Spain in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Ukrainian league, which was due to resume this weekend after its long winter break, has been suspended.

“We’ll withstand it,” posted Shakhtar Donetsk, the 13-time Ukrainian champions who have been exiled from their already war-torn home city for eight years, on Twitter with a picture of the Ukrainian flag.

Meanwhile, the Polish, Czech and Swedish football federations released a joint statement calling on FIFA to move World Cup qualifying play-off ties due to be played next month away from Russia.

Russia are due to host Poland in a play-off semi-final on March 24. Should they win, they would then host the Czech Republic or Sweden five days later to decide who qualifies for the World Cup in Qatar.

The three countries said in a statement addressed to world football’s governing body that the play-off matches scheduled for late March “should not be played in the territory of the Russian Federation”.

“The military escalation that we are observing entails serious consequences and considerably lower safety for our national football teams and official delegations,” the statement said.

“Therefore, we expect FIFA and UEFA to react immediately and to present alternative solutions regarding places where these approaching play-off matches could be played.”

Haas covers up Russian-backed sponsorship

American Formula 1 team Haas will not sport the Russian colours of its title sponsor Uralkali during the last day of pre-season testing in Barcelona on Friday in protest at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Haas, whose cars usually sport the blue, white and red colours of the Russian flag, “will present its VF-22 in a plain white livery, without the Uralkali branding, for the third and final day of testing” in Catalonia, the team said in a statement on Thursday.

As for their Russian driver, Nikita Mazepin, he “will drive as planned during the morning session”, said the team, without providing further details regarding “the agreement with the team sponsors”.

Haas is already removing the Uralkali sponsoring from their trucks. #AMuS#F1pic.twitter.com/MPuPGbE7HB

— Tobi Grüner 🏁 (@tgruener) February 24, 2022

Uralkali, a group specialising in potash, has the driver’s father, businessman Dmitry Mazepin, as its non-executive director.

Earlier at the pre-season testing session, reigning world champion Max Verstappen and former champion Sebastian Vettel both said it would be wrong for the Russian Grand Prix to go ahead in September.

Sebastian Vettel is not impressed. Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images.

Four-time world champion Vettel, who drives for Aston Martin, is adamant he will not compete in the September 25 race in Sochi.

“In my personal opinion, I woke up to this morning’s news, shocked,” Vettel said.

“I think it’s horrible to see what is happening. Obviously if you look at the calendar we have a race scheduled in Russia. For myself, my own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. I think it’s wrong to race in the country.” Verstappen of Red Bull said he was also against competing at Sochi. “When a country is at war, it’s not right to run there, that’s for sure,” said the Dutchman.