UEFA comment on rumours
Will the Champions League final be postponed?
05/12/2023, 2:16 p.m
The final of the football premier class is to take place twice in Istanbul. Both times, the Turkish city has to cede the final because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now it should finally be ready in June. But now there are rumors again about a last-minute transfer.
Is Istanbul just watching for a third time, will the Turkish city just be deprived of the final of the Champions League again? The European Football Union (UEFA) has rejected a media report about a possible postponement of the Champions League final due to security concerns. The final will “take place in Istanbul on June 10 as planned,” said the governing body. “UEFA has not held any discussions to the contrary with political institutions, governments or national football associations.”
The British “Daily Mail” had previously reported that the European Football Union had already contacted the Portuguese association in search of an alternative solution to Istanbul. The Estadio da Luz in Lisbon was mentioned as a possible plan B. The reason for this is feared unrest as a result of the Turkish presidential election this Sunday.
UEFA did not name the newspaper but called the reports on the case “inaccurate and unfounded”. A new president and a new parliament will be elected in Turkey on Sunday – there is a close race between incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, which is why there could still be a runoff election on May 28th. Almost two weeks later, the Champions League final is to take place in Istanbul’s Atatürk Stadium. According to the English newspaper, UEFA has security concerns in view of the explosive election.
Istanbul had already had to cede the Champions League final in 2020 and 2021 due to the corona pandemic, substitute solutions were Lisbon and Porto. In 2020, FC Bayern had won the premier class in Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz, this year no Bundesliga representative will play in the semifinals. Manchester City and Real Madrid (first leg: 1-1) as well as Inter and AC Milan (first leg: 2-0) will determine the finalists next week.