The roof of the Principality Stadium in Cardiff will be closed for the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus on Saturday June 3rd for safety and security reasons, it has been announced.
Following the British government’s decision to raise the national terror threat level to critical in the wake of Monday’s terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena, several sports have reviewed their planned events.
The Football Association of Wales confirmed in a statement on Friday that the decision to close the roof on the 75,000-seater venue for both the two official training sessions on Friday June 2nd as well as the final was made “following discussions between all stakeholders . . . and taking into consideration the recommendations made by the authorities over the last few weeks”.
The FAW added that “delivering a safe, secure and memorable event for all stakeholders, in particular the teams and the spectators, has always been the primary objective for both the Cardiff 2017 Local Organising Committee and Uefa.”
As such this year’s showpiece match will be the first Champions League final to be played under a roof.
The venue is to be referred to as the National Stadium of Wales, with all branding removed for the Uefa event, which is expected to see some 170,000 football fans head to Cardiff. The stadium will also host the Women’s Champions League final between Lyon and Paris St Germain on June 1st, again with the roof closed.
A statement from Uefa said: “Uefa’s priority for the Uefa Champions League final, as with all its matches, is to ensure that it is a safe and secure event for all stakeholders, from the participating teams to the supporters.
“We acknowledge the decision made by the Football Association of Wales, in consultation with the South Wales Police, to close the roof for safety and security reasons.”
