Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants the Champions League Final moved from St Petersburg as the Russia-Ukraine crisis escalates.
Football’s elite club showpiece event - due to be held on Saturday, May 28 - could be dominated by English clubs for the third time in four years after Chelsea beat Manchester City last year and Liverpool saw off Spurs in 2018.
But it is now likely to be staged away from Russia after the country sent troops into eastern Ukraine with fears an invasion is planned.
Johnson said: “It is absolutely vital in this critical moment that President Putin understands that what he is doing is going to be a disaster for Russia.
“He is going to end up with a Russia that is poorer as a result of the sanctions that the world will implement.
"A Russia that is more isolated. A Russia that has pariah status. No chance of holding football tournaments in a Russia that invades sovereign countries.”
The UK is among several countries that have introduced sanctions against Russia in response to the move.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries confirmed that she too had "serious concerns about the sporting events due to be held in Russia, such as the Champions League final, and will discuss with the relevant governing bodies".
She added: "We won't allow [Russia] President [Vladimir] Putin to exploit events on the world stage to legitimise his illegal invasion of Ukraine."
And former UK sports minister Tracey Crouch has called for UEFA to move the final “immediately".
She said: "Given the British and European condemnation of Russian action in Ukraine, UEFA should immediately move the Champions League final from the Gazprom stadium.
"The ban on politicians and officials travelling to the Russian-hosted 2018 World Cup was a soft message to President Putin which made no significant difference - so Uefa need to take a much stronger stance not least to ensure the safety of travelling fans."
While European football's governing body is taking stock of the situation it is understood to be hunting for a new venue at short notice for the third year running.
The past two Champions League finals were played in Portugal because of Covid-19 related issues.
