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UEFA could move Champions League final from Istanbul to Lisbon

UEFA have reportedly held talks about moving the Champions League final from Istanbul to Lisbon due to fears of civil disturbances following the presidential elections in Turkey. 

Manchester City and Real Madrid played out a 1-1 draw earlier this week in the first leg of the semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Vinicius Junior fired the opener before Kevin De Bruyne restored parity with a thumping strike to put his side in the ascendancy in the tie. 

The other semi-final saw Inter Milan dominate AC Milan with a 2-0 success at the San Siro, with Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on target for the Nerazzurri. 

City and Inter look favourites to make it to the Champions League final scheduled to be played at the Ataturk Stadium on June 10. 

However, the Daily Mail claim UEFA have held talks about moving the final to Lisbon’s Stadium of Light in Portugal.

European football’s governing body will be extremely reluctant to switch the venue with less than a month remaining for the final. 

The biggest event in club football has already been moved twice from the Turkish city due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. 


However, there are fears of unrest in Istanbul if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reign ends. In such a situation, UEFA may be forced to make a late change in venue. 

They have already made an informal approach to the Portuguese Football Federation over staging the Champions League final. 

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