Istanbul.- UEFA insisted on Friday that the Champions League Final will be held in Istanbul and rejected a publication’s report that the European soccer governing body was exploring Lisbon as a contingency option in the event of riots after the weekend elections in Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in a close fight to stay in power for more than 20 years. He is seeking his third term in Sunday’s election.
The English newspaper Daily Mail assured that UEFA informally approached the Portuguese Football Federation in case there is chaos in Istanbul after the elections and it cannot receive the final on June 10.
“UEFA has not held talks against it with any political institution, government or local federation,” UEFA said in a statement responding to what it considered “an unfounded and incorrect press report.”
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul should have hosted the 2020 and 2021 finals, but it was impossible due to sanitary measures during the pandemic. The Federation of Portugal and its government took over in both cases. Lisbon held the delayed eight-team mini-tournament, including the final without fans in August 2020.
In May 2021, Porto hosted an English final in front of 14,000 fans. Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0.
Manchester City could return to the final this season. The English champions will host Real Madrid on Wednesday for the second leg of the semifinals after a 1-1 draw in Spain. Inter Milan have a 2-0 lead against AC Milan ahead of the second leg on Tuesday.
