UEFA make informal approach to Portuguese football authorities over hosting Champions League final
EXCLUSIVE: UEFA informally contacting Portuguese football authorities about hosting the Champions League final in Lisbon if current host Istanbul becomes unfeasible due to post-election civil unrest
- UEFA has held talks with the Portuguese authorities about the moving showpiece
- The European Football Association is extremely cautious this year
- May be forced to a decision by civil unrest in Turkey after the election
UEFA has held talks about moving the Champions League final to the Stadium of Light in Lisbon if there is unrest in Istanbul following the Turkish presidential election.
Manchester City and Inter Milan are favorites to reach the final, which will take place at Ataturk Stadium on June 10, but there are concerns about the prospect of civil unrest if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade reign ends this month. polls.
UEFA would be extremely reluctant to move the final as the biggest event in European football in 2020 and 2021 has been moved twice from Istanbul due to Covid, but may be forced to consider a late change as fan safety issues their first concern.
Informal talks have taken place about moving the Champions League out of Istanbul in case of civil unrest
UEFA has discussed the prospect of holding the final at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon
Mail Sport has learned that an informal approach has been taken with the Portuguese Football Federation, which has previously intervened with Lisbon and Porto hosting the final in 2020 and 2021.
Erdogan was five percent behind his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a narrow poll ahead of Sunday’s first round of voting. the 28th of May.
With the Champions League final set less than two weeks later, UEFA may be forced to make a belated decision, although sources at the governing body insisted on Thursday that there was no plan to move the game out of Turkey.