UEFA will be stripped of hosting the Champions League final in St Petersburg after Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine on Thursday, the Associated Press has learned.

An extraordinary meeting of UEFA’s executive committee will be held on Friday to discuss the geopolitical crisis and when officials are expected to confirm the withdrawal of Russia’s May 28 showpiece match, a person with knowledge of the process said on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions.

UEFA publicly reprimanded Russia and said it was dealing with the “situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency” while confirming the meeting for 09:00 GMT on Friday.

“UEFA shares the international community’s grave concern over the developing security situation in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion of Ukraine,” the governing body said in a statement.

“We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and we are ready to reach out to the Ukrainian people.”

As Russia’s threats to Ukraine grew over the week, the UK government and fan groups had already called for the final not to be played in St Petersburg, where the stadium is sponsored by the Russian energy giant, Gazprom.

The company is also Schalke’s main sponsor, but the German second division club said on Thursday that the Gazprom logo was being removed from its shirts.

A senior Gazprom executive has also quit the Gelsenkirchen-based club’s supervisory board after facing US sanctions. Matthias Warnig is the CEO of the newly built but never operated Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is a multi-billion dollar project by Gazprom and European companies.

Critics said Schalke had been used to popularize Gazprom in Germany as it pushed to build the gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, which bypassed Ukraine. Gazprom has been a sponsor since 2006 and provided the money that fueled a run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2011.

German newspaper Bild this week began covering Gazprom logos on Schalke shirts with “Freedom for Ukraine” in protest at Russia’s intensified military intervention in Ukraine.

Gazprom’s sponsorship of UEFA is also under scrutiny, with its brand having a significant profile this week in the Champions League Round of 16.

UEFA management had delayed calling the venue for the Champions League final until Russia began targeting towns and military bases in Ukraine with airstrikes and shelling on Thursday as tanks and troops were crossing the border.

The International Olympic Committee said it “strongly condemns the violation of the Olympic truce by the Russian government”, days after the end of the closing of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The truce aims to ensure the safe passage of athletes during the Games and, in the long term, to promote the idea of ​​working for peace in the world. It runs until the end of the Paralympic Games, which are due to open in Beijing on March 4.

The International Paralympic Committee has condemned Russia and said it has held talks with sports officials in Ukraine, which still plans to compete in Beijing and demands safe passage for its athletes.

“This is a truly horrific situation, and we are very concerned about our National Paralympic Committee and Ukrainian para-athletes,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. “Our top priority at this time is the safety and well-being of the Ukrainian delegation, with whom we are in regular dialogue.”

Russia’s name, flag and anthem are already barred from the Paralympic Games from March 4-13 in Beijing due to previous doping disputes. His team is to compete under the name RPC, short for Russian Paralympic Committee.

Russia has violated the Olympic truce three times in 14 years, waging war with Georgia over the disputed territory of South Ossetia during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and launching a military takeover that annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine after the conclusion of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Attention turns to Russia which will host other major sporting events in the coming months.

In basketball, Barcelona said their team would not fly to Russia for two matches against Russian sides – Zenit St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow – on Friday and Sunday in the Euroleague.

In rugby, European organizers have postponed Georgia’s match against Russia on Sunday in Tbilisi as part of the European Rugby Championship. The women’s game between Spain and Russia on Saturday in Madrid was still relevant.

Formula 1 said it was “monitoring very fluid developments closely” but had no further comment on the cancellation of its Sochi race in September. Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel has said he will not take part in the Russian Grand Prix.

“I won’t go,” said the German driver. “I think it’s wrong to run in the country. I feel sorry for the innocent people who lose their lives, who get killed (for) stupid reasons and a very strange and crazy direction.

In Ukrainian national sport, the Ukrainian Football Premier League suspended operations on Thursday due to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to impose martial law. The league is on a two-month winter break and was due to resume on Friday. He gave no expected date to restart.

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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Düsseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.

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Rob Harris, The Associated Press