Champions in Istanbul, the venue for the final can change – Corriere.it

Carletto Ancelotti’s dream of challenging Milan in Istanbul on 10 June, in the Champions League final, may not come true. And not because of a certain defeat by Real Madrid or the Rossoneri in the semifinals, but because of a choice by UEFA, worried about possible unrest that could flare up after the presidential elections scheduled in Turkey in just under a month, on May 14th. The president of the highest continental body, Aleksander Ceferin, always has contingency plans ready in case it becomes necessary to move a European final.

The possible alternatives

To date, of course, everything is confirmed: in less than two months the last act of the Champions League will be played in Istanbul

. But as the Independent reports in Nyon, they are also thinking of possible alternatives. Thus the Ataturk Olympic Stadium could be replaced for the third time as the venue for the Champions League final. In 2020, the outbreak of the Covid pandemic caused the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the tournament to be moved to Lisbon, Portugal. But the coronavirus imposed the relocation of the final also in 2021, given that Turkey was in the red zone for England and Manchester City and Chelsea had qualified: the match was still played in Portugal, in Porto.

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Not just Istanbul. Because even last year the final had to move from Russia to Paris, due to the invasion of Ukraine decided in February 2022 by Vladimir Putin. 2023 was supposed to be a good year for the Ataturk stadium, but UEFA is carefully watching the evolution of the political elections in Turkey on 14 May. For Nyon it is forbidden to ruin a party like the Champions League final. And this is why in the event of unrest, Ceferin would consider moving the game again and is now much more prepared to do so after what has happened in the last three seasons. The contingency plans would kick in after the semi-finals, as the return matches of this round are scheduled for 16 and 17 May. Immediately after, in fact, the outcome of the Turkish elections. Carlo Ancelotti, eventually, will come to terms with it.