UEFA has held talks about moving the Champions League final to Lisbon’s Stadium of Light in the event of unrest in Turkey following the presidential and parliamentary elections taking place on Sunday, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
İstanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium is expected host the final on June 10.
“UEFA would be extremely reluctant to switch the final, as the biggest event in European football has twice been moved from Istanbul due to Covid in 2020 and 2021, but may be forced to consider a late change as the safety of fans is their primary concern,” the Daily Mail said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is seeking re-election, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Homeland Party leader Muharrem İnce and Sinan Oğan, the candidate of a bloc of four far-right parties, were qualified to run in the presidential election.
In a move that is likely to change the outcome of the presidential election, İnce on Thursday announced his withdrawal from the race.
A presidential candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to be elected in the first round. If none of the candidates manages to exceed 50 percent, a second round will be held two weeks later, following which the candidate who gets the most votes will be elected to the top state post.
Many observers representing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and other international organizations will monitor the elections in Turkey.
Source: Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF)
