Russia Loses Champions League Final to Paris; Sochi F1 Axed

General view inside the Stade de France stadium before a training session ahead of the UEFA Nations League match between France and Croatia at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Sunday Sept. 6, 2020. (AP)
General view inside the Stade de France stadium before a training session ahead of the UEFA Nations League match between France and Croatia at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Sunday Sept. 6, 2020. (AP)
TT
20

Russia Loses Champions League Final to Paris; Sochi F1 Axed

General view inside the Stade de France stadium before a training session ahead of the UEFA Nations League match between France and Croatia at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Sunday Sept. 6, 2020. (AP)
General view inside the Stade de France stadium before a training session ahead of the UEFA Nations League match between France and Croatia at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Sunday Sept. 6, 2020. (AP)

Russia was stripped of hosting the Champions League final by UEFA on Friday with St. Petersburg replaced by Paris, and Formula One dropped this season's Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, as the invasion of Ukraine drew punitive measures in the sporting world.

The showpiece final in the European men's football season will still be held on May 28 but now at the 80,000-seat Stade de France in the Saint-Denis suburb of the French capital after the decision by UEFA's executive committee.

It followed discussions led by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin that involved the European Commission and French President Emmanuel Macron in recent days after concerns were raised about the status of Russia retaining such a prestigious event after its aggression toward another European country.

UEFA thanked Macron for his “personal support and commitment to have European club football’s most prestigious game moved to France at a time of unparalleled crisis.”

Alexander Dyukov, a Russian member of the UEFA executive committee, complained the decision was taken for “political reasons.” Dyukov also opposed UEFA ordering Russian clubs and national teams to play at neutral venues until further notice — a ruling also imposed on Ukrainian sides.

The move comes as Russian bombs and troops pounded Ukraine during the invasion’s first full day, and world leaders on Friday began to fine-tune a response meant to punish the Russian economy and its leaders, including President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

The F1 race wasn't due until September in the Black Sea resort of Sochi but the motorsport series leadership decided it would be “impossible” to stage the Grand Prix after talks with teams and the FIA governing body. American team Haas also dropped the sponsorship of Russian company Uralkali during preseason testing in Barcelona. Nikita Mazepin of Haas is the only Russian driver on the F1 grid this season.

“We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation,” F1 said in a statement.

The French government will work with UEFA to help to rescue footballers and their families who “face dire human suffering, destruction and displacement,” European football's governing body said in a statement.

There is the unresolved matter of Russia still being due to host Poland in World Cup qualifying playoff semifinals in Moscow. Poland wants the game taken out of Russia, but FIFA has yet to decide.

UEFA was more decisive on the Champions League final hosting, which was welcomed by the British government.

“Russia must not be allowed to exploit sporting and cultural events on the world stage to legitimize its unprovoked, premeditated and needless attack against a sovereign democratic state," said British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, who has the sports brief.

This is the third consecutive year that UEFA has had to change its Champions League final location after two switches due to coronavirus issues.

The Stade de France last hosted the Champions League final 16 years ago, when Barcelona beat Arsenal in the 2006 final.

The 68,000-capacity St. Petersburg stadium was originally picked in 2019 to host the final in 2021. That was postponed by one year in the fallout of disruption caused by the pandemic.

The stadium is named for Russian state-owned energy firm Gazprom, which is also a top-tier UEFA sponsor of the Champions League and European Championship.

UEFA has two weeks before the next set of Champions League games to resolve the issue of Gazprom adverts flashing around stadium pitches. Reinforcing the company's close links to UEFA, Dyukov is a CEO of a Gazprom subsidiary as well as sitting on European football's top decision-making body.

Gazprom's logo has already been removed this week from the jerseys of German club Schalke but it remains a sponsor.

Away from football, the International Ski Federation announced that Russia will not host any more of its World Cup events this winter. The decision came after a farcical attempt to hold ski cross races on Friday in the Urals resort Sunny Valley one day after Russia started an invasion of Ukraine.

Only a handful of Russians started and dozens of racers from all other countries did not take part. FIS cited ”the safety of all participants and to maintain the integrity of the World Cup” for calling off five scheduled events in the next month. Replacement venues are being sought.



Frustrated Djokovic Says Players Kept in Dark over High-profile Doping Cases

Tennis - Exhibition - Juan Martin del Potro v Novak Djokovic - Estadio Mary Teran de Weiss, Buenos Aires, Argentina - December 1, 2024 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during an exhibition match REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo
Tennis - Exhibition - Juan Martin del Potro v Novak Djokovic - Estadio Mary Teran de Weiss, Buenos Aires, Argentina - December 1, 2024 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during an exhibition match REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo
TT
20

Frustrated Djokovic Says Players Kept in Dark over High-profile Doping Cases

Tennis - Exhibition - Juan Martin del Potro v Novak Djokovic - Estadio Mary Teran de Weiss, Buenos Aires, Argentina - December 1, 2024 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during an exhibition match REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo
Tennis - Exhibition - Juan Martin del Potro v Novak Djokovic - Estadio Mary Teran de Weiss, Buenos Aires, Argentina - December 1, 2024 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during an exhibition match REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo

Novak Djokovic expressed his frustration at being "kept in the dark" about world number one Jannik Sinner's doping case, saying in Brisbane on Sunday that it was not a good look for tennis.

Anti-doping authorities said in August Sinner twice tested positive in March for the anabolic androgenic steroid clostebol and was cleared of wrongdoing by an independent tribunal that accepted his explanation of unintentional contamination.

The 23-year-old Italian faces a potential ban of up to two years after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed that decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Reuters reported.

"It's not a good image and not a good look for our sport," Djokovic told reporters ahead of the Brisbane International.

"You don't want to see that. I believe that in the last 20-plus years that I've been playing on the professional tour that we've been one of the cleanest sports. I'll keep believing in that clean sport.

"I'm just questioning the way the system works, really, and why certain players are not treated the same as other players."

Sinner's was not the only recent high-profile case in the sport as world number two Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month ban that ended on Dec. 4 after a positive test for trimetazidine, which she said was due to contamination of her sleep medication.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency maintains that all doping cases are dealt with based on facts and evidence and not a player's name, ranking or nationality, but has not been able to fend off allegations of double standards.

"The issue is the inconsistency and the transparency. We've been kept in the dark with Jannik's case," Djokovic added.

"I'm not questioning whether he took the banned substance intentionally or not. I believe in a clean sport, I believe that the player will do everything possible to be playing fair.

"I've known Jannik since he was very young. He doesn't strike me as somebody who would do such a thing. But I've been really frustrated as (have) most of the other players to see that we've been kept in the dark for five months."

Outspoken Australian Nick Kyrgios said the cases involving Sinner and Swiatek were "disgusting" for the sport and slammed authorities over what he saw as lenient treatment.