Ukraine crisis: Uefa to move Champions League final after Russian invasion
Uefa will take the 2022 Champions League final away from St Petersburg following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The decision will be made at Friday's emergency meeting of European football's governing body.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday.
World football's governing body Fifa is to meet on Thursday, with Russia and Ukraine both scheduled to play in World Cup play-off matches in March.
Russia are set to play Poland on 24 March, while Scotland host Ukraine on the same day.
Ukraine's domestic football league was set to resume this weekend after a winter break but that will remain suspended. Fifteen of the most recent 23-man Ukraine squad play in their homeland.
Sweden are also in the play-offs where they will meet the Czech Republic. The winner of that tie could meet Russia for a place at the World Cup finals, which get under way in Qatar in November, if they win their semi-final. Karl-Erik Nilsson, the chairman of the Swedish Football Association, told Reuters a match in Russia was "almost unthinkable" at the moment.
Later on Thursday, a joint statement was issued by the Polish, Czech and Swedish FAs telling Fifa that the play-off matches should not be played in Russia.
It says the countries will not travel there due to safety concerns and want "immediate" action over alternative locations.
Former Chelsea and AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko - who is Ukraine's all-time record goalscorer and was manager of the national team for five years - called on Russia "to stop their aggression and violation of international law".
"My people and my family are under attack," he wrote in a post on Instagram. "We only want peace. War is not the answer."
The Champions League final was set to be played at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 28 May but Uefa has known an escalation in the situation between Russia and Ukraine would make it impossible to stage the match.
Overnight developments have made that certain and Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has called an emergency executive committee meeting for Friday, when the decision will be confirmed.
Uefa is in the process of evaluating alternatives but is now committed to changing the venue of its most prestigious club game at short notice for the third year running.
Zenit St Petersburg's game on Thursday will go ahead, Uefa has confirmed. They face Spanish side Real Betis away in the Europa League at 20:00 GMT.
In Ukraine, football at all levels has been suspended and the Ukrainian FA has said it will appeal to prevent any Russian national or club teams participating in "any international competitions under the auspices of Fifa and Uefa".
Uefa later said it "shared the international community's concern" for Ukraine.
"We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people," Uefa said in a statement.
