Istanbul is to host the final of the Champions League in the third attempt in 2023. The massive destruction and the great suffering after the earthquake are now in the foreground.
When Bayern Munich played Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, a new ball rolled across the pitch, as is so often the case in modern football marketing. “Istanbul 2023” was written on the ball – a harbinger of the final that is to take place in the Turkish metropolis.
But in Turkey itself, the game of Bayern, the final of the Champions League and no other game are topics. The earthquake in the border region with Syria also brought football to a standstill.
Earthquake disaster in Turkey
Football should rest until March 3rd
On the website of the Turkish federation, between numerous reports about killed players, officials and impartial board decisions are reported.
Nine clubs from the country’s top four leagues are withdrawing for the remainder of the season. They are in the provinces where the state of emergency is in effect. Your remaining games will be counted as lost, but you don’t have to be relegated. No more matches will be played until March 3, said Mehmet Büyükekşi, president of the Turkish FA.
Some stadiums are now being used for tent cities to house people. Several first division clubs announced donations.
The stadium in Kahramanmaras becomes a tent city
“The game should be a great pleasure”
35,000 dead have been officially confirmed so far. “Some estimate that it could end up being 150,000”, says Hüseyin Özkök, who reports on football for several media in Turkey, in an interview with Sportschau. He lives in Akyaka in south-west Turkey.
The final of the Champions League – planned for Saturday, June 10, 2023 – is not in danger as things stand. “The game should be a great pleasure”says Özkök: “But right now I don’t feel like thinking about a game like that at all. Many of our relatives, friends and colleagues are all dead.” The final for Turkish football would actually have been the good end of a long journey.
Sports journalist Hüseyin Özkök
Istanbul already had to switch from 2020 to 2021 and 2023
Because the ball with the lettering “Istanbul 2023” is the third that UEFA has had designed for the game in Turkey since 2020. Istanbul was supposed to host the Champions League final in 2020. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced UEFA to change plans, followed by a final tournament in Portugal – Istanbul was awarded the 2021 final.
In 2021, however, the pandemic was still a dominant issue, and UEFA again moved the final to Portugal, this time to Porto. Istanbul was again at a disadvantage and had to switch to the year 2023.
Three balls, one final – Istanbul is to host the final of the Champions League in the third attempt.
| Year | Planning 2019 | Planning 2020 | Planning 2021 | Planning 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Istanbul | Lisbon | – | – |
2021 | St. Petersburg | Istanbul | postage | – |
2022 | Munich | St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg | Paris |
2023 | Wembley | Munich | Istanbul | Istanbul |
2024 | – | Wembley | Wembley | Wembley |
2025 | – | – | Munich | Munich |
First big game since 2009
Turkey, not considered by UEFA in several European Championship bids such as 2024, will host a big game again after a long time. In 2009, Werder Bremen lost 2-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League final after extra time at the Fenerbahce stadium – the competition was then called the UEFA Cup.
In 2005, one of the biggest finals of the Champions League took place at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, when Liverpool FC turned a 3-0 deficit against AC Milan into a 3-3 win and won on penalties. In 2019 there was at least the UEFA Supercup between Liverpool and Chelsea at the Besiktas stadium.
Liverpool celebrated the Champions League title in Istanbul in 2005.
UEFA: Game to take place in Istanbul as planned
Could the game be in question again if Turkey can make better use of its organizational and financial capacities elsewhere in the country after the earthquake? “The 2023 UEFA Champions League final is set to take place in Istanbul as planned”, UEFA said on request. According to information from the sports show, the European association is planning to visit Istanbul next week to plan the game.
UEFA announced that it would initially donate €200,000 to support the victims. Whether the final in Istanbul will be used for fundraisers, “will be checked”.