UEFA, FIFA 'monitoring the situation' in light of escalating Russia-Ukraine crisis

By Aleks Klosok and Sammy Mngqosini, CNN

Updated 1229 GMT (2029 HKT) February 23, 2022

A view of the UEFA Champions League trophy during the 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at UEFA headquarters on December 13, 2021.

(CNN)UEFA and FIFA say they are «monitoring the situation» as the escalating Russia-Ukraine crisis threatens to impact key European and international football matches due to take place in both countries.

It comes after Western nations announced a tranche of sanctions against Moscow in a bid to deter further aggression after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops into separatist-held parts of eastern Ukraine in what the Kremlin called a «peacekeeping» mission.St. Petersburg is poised to stage the UEFA Champions League Final — the biggest match in men's European club football — on Saturday, May 28.The Krestovsky Stadium, which is sponsored by Russian state-owned company Gazprom, previously hosted matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020.It had initially been slated to stage last year's showpiece event, but this was pushed back to 2022 after Istanbul missed out on hosting the event in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Read MoreCovid-19 travel restrictions in Turkey subsequently forced UEFA to move last year's final to Portugal for the second year running.«With regard to the 2022 UEFA Champions League final in St Petersburg, we would like to inform you that UEFA is constantly and closely monitoring the situation and any decision would be made in due course if necessary. UEFA has no further comments to make at present,» a UEFA spokesperson told CNN Tuesday.UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Wednesday that English teams should boycott May's final — if they make it — as a result of