Uefa will be taking the 2022 Champions League final away from St Petersburg following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The decision will be made at Friday's emergency meeting of European football's governing body.
Following Russian president, Vladimir Putin’s, launch of a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, world football's governing body Fifa met - with Russia and Ukraine both scheduled to play in World Cup play-off matches in March.
Russia are set to play Poland on 24 March, while Scotland host Ukraine on the same day.
Ukraine's domestic football league was set to resume this weekend after a winter break but that will remain suspended. Fifteen of the most recent 23-man Ukraine squad play in their homeland.
Sweden are also in the play-offs and would meet Russia for a place at the World Cup finals, which get under way in Qatar in November, if both win their semi-finals. Karl-Erik Nilsson, the chair of the Swedish Football Association, said that a match in Russia was unthinkable at present. The Champions League final was set to be played at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 28 May but Uefa has known an escalation in the situation between Russia and Ukraine would make it impossible to stage the match.
Developments have made that certain and Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has called an emergency executive committee meeting for when a decision will be confirmed. Uefa is in the process of evaluating alternatives but is now committed to changing the venue of its most prestigious club game at short notice for the third year running.
In Ukraine, football at all levels has been suspended and the Ukrainian FA has said it will appeal to prevent any Russian national or club teams participating in international competitions under the auspices of Fifa and Uefa. Uefa later said it had shared the international community's concern for Ukraine.
"We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people," Uefa said in a statement. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in condemning Russia's breach of the Olympic Truce before the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
The Olympic Truce began seven days before the start of the Winter Olympics and ends seven days after the closing of the Winter Paralympics.
A statement said: "The IOC is deeply concerned about the safety of the Olympic community in Ukraine. It has established a task force to closely monitor the situation and to coordinate humanitarian assistance to members of the Olympic community in Ukraine where possible."
A Russian delegation will be heading to the Winter Paralympics in Beijing, which begin on 4 March, and the International Paralympic Committee said that it is in dialogue with the Ukrainian and Russian Paralympic Committees amid the on-going crisis.
Meanwhile, FIS (the International Ski Federation) has said that it is monitoring the escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the safety of participants at their World Cup competitions in Russia this weekend. Formula 1 said that it is watching the developments, with the Russian Grand Prix due to take place in Sochi in September.
