British government calls for Champions League final to be moved from Russia

British government officials are calling on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to reconsider its decision to have the Champions League final in Russia over the imminent violence between it and Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. 

Speaking at the House of Commons on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Russian President Vladimir Putin not to go forward with his planned invasion. 

“It’s absolutely vital in this critical moment that President Putin understands that what he is doing is going to be a disaster for Russia,” Johnson said at the meeting.  

“He is going to end up with … a Russia that is more isolated, a Russia that has pariah status, no chance of holding football tournaments in a Russia that invades sovereign countries,” Johnson added.

A source said top-level UEFA officials, including federation President Aleksander Ceferin, discussed the Russia-Ukraine situation during a Tuesday meeting, according to the AP. 

“UEFA is constantly and closely monitoring the situation,” the federation said in a statement, “and any decision would be made in due course if necessary.”

The latest concerns come amid Putin’s announcement on Monday that Russia has recognized the independence of two rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine.

UEFA officials have been keeping Russian and Ukrainian teams separated in an effort to keep them from playing each other since Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

FIFA council member Alexey Sorokin, who leads the committee organizing the final, told a media outlet that no discussions about moving the Champions League Final from Russia have taken place. 

“We are preparing for the final according to plan,” Sorokin said. “We expect more than 50,000 foreign fans to arrive.

The UEFA Champions League final is set to take place in St. Petersburg on May 28.