• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
English Teams Urged To Boycott Champions League Final In Russia After Vladimir Putin's Threat Of Ukraine Invasion

Home> Football

Updated 12:58 23 Feb 2022 GMTPublished 12:54 23 Feb 2022 GMT

English Teams Urged To Boycott Champions League Final In Russia After Vladimir Putin's Threat Of Ukraine Invasion

Man United, Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea have all reached the Champions League round of 16, but should they boycott the final in Russia?

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has called on English teams to boycott the final of the Champions League in Russia over rising tensions involving neighbouring country Ukraine.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Champions League holders Chelsea have all reached the knockout stages of UEFA’s top-tier club competition.

The final for the Champions League this season is scheduled for 28th May at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, but Russia could be stripped of the rights by UEFA amid the escalating situation in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has swiftly denied claims of an imminent invasion, despite reports that up to 150,000 troops have massed along Ukraine’s borders.

Advert

PA

The 69-year-old on Monday ordered troops to be sent into two separate Russian-backed Ukrainian regions, both of which are de facto controlled by the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Truss, 46, believes that English teams should take a stand against the Champions League final if it is held in Russia amid the escalating crisis.

“If I were on an English team, I would boycott it,” she told LBC.

Truss, who replaced Dominic Raab as foreign secretary last September, added: “I would personally not want to be playing in a football match in St Petersburg given what the Putin regime is doing.”

Advert

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker reacted to Truss’ comments by claiming that the “pressure” has been put on footballers to “take a tough stance on Russia.”

He tweeted: “Put the pressure on young footballers to take a tough stance on Russia, as the government doesn’t take a tough stance on Russia.”

Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who joined the Labour Party last month, slammed Truss and took a swipe at the Tories over their “illicit funding” from Russian oligarchs.

Advert

“Maybe concentrate on the illicit funding your party has been receiving from Russians rather than English teams participating in football matches,” the Sky Sports pundit tweeted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced that the UK would put in place sanctions against Russia in response to Putin ordering troops into eastern Ukraine.

During a statement to MPs, the Conservative leader confirmed that three Russian billionaires would have UK travel bans and five banks have had their assets frozen.

Advert

The Financial Times reports that US President Joe Biden has also taken swift action against Putin’s aggression by imposing tough economic sanctions on Russia.

Speaking from the White House on Tuesday, he said: “We’ve cut off Russia’s government from western financing.

“It can no longer raise money from the west and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.”

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Champions League, England, Football, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City

Adnan Riaz
Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

X

@AdnanRiaz9

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • UEFA Announce Major Champions League Rule Change Days Before First Matches
  • Premier League set to receive extra Champions League spot in major boost for English clubs
  • The nine teams who have already qualified for Champions League knockout round before the final round of fixtures
  • Quiz show contestants baffled after finding out five of Man Utd's 1999 Champions League final squad were pointless answers

Choose your content:

10 mins ago
2 hours ago
9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • Getty Images
    10 mins ago

    Man Utd's 'Bomb Squad' React to Marcus Rashford's Performance vs Newcastle

    Rashford netted a memorable brace for Hansi Flick's side.

    Football
  • Getty
    2 hours ago

    Lionel Messi’s Huge Earnings At Inter Miami Show Why He Left PSG

    The football legend left the Ligue 1 champions to join Inter Miami in 2023.

    Football
  • Getty
    9 hours ago

    Marcus Rashford Stat From Barcelona Clash With Newcastle Looks Impossible

    The Barcelona star scored two goals during his new club's opening Champions League fixture against Newcastle United.

    Football
  • Getty
    10 hours ago

    Jack Grealish Labels Two Barcelona Players as a 'Joy to Watch' After Newcastle Win

    Jack Grealish took to social media to praise two Barcelona stars.

    Football