Uefa have announced that Arsenal‘s Europa League clash against FC Vorskla has been moved from Poltava to Kiev due to safety concerns.
The decision was announced today in response to Ukraine declaring martial law in certain regions of the country after Russia captured three of its naval vessels and 23 crew members on Sunday.
Poltava is not actually within a designated area of martial law, however, concerns were raised due to its position in the east and proximity to areas of heightened tension.
Uefa originally stated that the match would go ahead unaffected only 24 hours before making today’s U-turn, now leaving many of the Gunners’ travelling support floundering over changes of flights and accommodation.
A statement released by Uefa this evening said:
“Uefa’s Emergency Panel has today [Tuesday] taken the decision to relocate FC Vorskla’s Uefa Europa League group stage match against Arsenal FC from the city of Poltava, following the introduction of martial law into certain regions in Ukraine.
“The match will now take place at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on Thursday 29 November at 18.55CET [4.55pm GMT].
“Uefa will continue to monitor and assess the security situation in Ukraine in the coming days before making any decision on potentially relocating other matches.”
