Ralf Rangnick has labelled UEFA 's move to strip Russia of the Champions League final as the "right decision."
The news follows his club, Manchester United, dropping Russian-owned airline Aeroflot as a sponsor after it was banned from the United Kingdom as part of sanctions imposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday.
Vladimir Putin 's invasion of Ukraine has had countless ripple effects on football, with other clubs dropping sponsors and players speaking out as the devastation continues into the weekend.
If the Red Devils are to reach the Champions League final, they now will no longer travel to St Petersburg, with UEFA awarding the May showpiece to the Stade de France in Paris.
"The situation itself is desperately sad, I think everybody will think similarly about that. This is just an incredible situation that we have a kind of war within Europe," Rangnick stated, speaking of his side's Premier League match at home to Watford on Saturday.
"And therefore I think the decision UEFA took was inevitable and it was the right decision."
The 63-year-old spent almost six months in Moscow working for one of its clubs, Lokomotiv, as a Head of Sports and Development prior to joining United in December.
Asked how his emotions were this week, Rangnick replied: "This is just a human disaster what's happening there for all the people involved.
"Right now, as far as I can tell, the situation in Russia and especially Moscow is still safe but this doesn't change anything about the whole situation, which as I said, is desperately sad.
"When I watch TV in the morning or the evening I still cannot believe what I see there. This is just a terrible situation and I very, very much hope that the politicians all over the world can help to de-escalate the situation and finish with those kind of things that are happening there."
The Red Devils confirmed their decision to cut ties with Aeroflot on Friday morning after being sponsored by the company since 2013, but have now ended their agreement which was renewed in a £40m deal in 2017.
A club statement read: "In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot's sponsorship rights.
"We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected."
Mirror Football reported on Thursday that United were drawing up plans to end their agreement with their "official carrier" as they looked to distance themselves from the situation.
Aeroflot is the national airline of Russia but Rangnick and co did not use them to fly to Madrid in midweek for their Champions League round-of-16 first leg against Atletico.
