It appears that Istanbul’s Atatürk Stadium is once again facing the possibility of not hosting a Champions League final for the third time in the last four editions due to growing concerns over political unrest in Turkey.
The English newspaper The Independent reported that the European Football Association confirms that the final match will take place in Istanbul, no matter what.
However, the plans outlined need a contingency option as the Turkish presidential election is due to take place a month before Istanbul’s Atatürk Stadium will host the 2022-23 Champions League final.
Istanbul has been scheduled to host the Champions League final twice in the last three years, but fears of the emerging Corona virus pandemic have prevented this on both occasions.
In 2020, the confrontation between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain took place in Lisbon after a mini-tournament organized by Portugal according to the single-elimination system, starting from the quarter-finals.
Only a year later, the Turkish capital was to finally host Chelsea and Manchester City in the Champions League final.
However, the number of Covid cases has risen and Turkey has been placed on the UK red list and, given that the two finalists had travel problems, she was again transferred to Portugal, this time to Porto.
Turkey’s presidential election is expected to take place on May 14, an earlier date than expected, which could increase the likelihood of an outbreak of unrest in the Turkish capital, with the Champions League final taking place on June 10. but there is an opinion that the European Football Association is ready, if necessary, to transfer the final team.
Istanbul last hosted a Champions League final in 2005, when Liverpool surprised Milan by coming back from a 3-0 deficit at the end of the first half and beating the Reds on penalties at Ataturk Stadium.
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