Club Atletico de Madrid – Liverpool FC match to go ahead in Madrid

Following the decision of UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body to sanction Club Atlético de Madrid for a series of incidents at the UEFA Champions League Group D match against Olympique de Marseille on 1st October, the club has lodged an appeal against the decision and requested suspension of the sanctions to allow their match against Liverpool FC to be played in Madrid as originally scheduled.

After immediate consideration of the request for suspension, and having considered in particular the organisational and logistical difficulties related to relocating the Club Atlético de Madrid vs Liverpool FC match to another venue at short notice, the Chairman of the Appeals Body has decided to grant the request for suspension of the sanctions.

Consequently, UEFA can confirm that the UEFA Champions League match between Club Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC will take place as scheduled on 22nd October at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid.

It should be emphasised that suspension of the sanctions does not mean that the decision of the Control and Disciplinary Body has been set aside. The decision remains in force pending a full hearing of the appeal which will now take place on Friday 31st October 2008 at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

UEFA is however keen to stress that safety and security matters, including efficient cooperation with the police, are of the utmost priority and that there is a zero tolerance policy for incidents concerning racism in football. The match between Club Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC will be under particular scrutiny and UEFA is ready to take immediate and further action if there are any reported incidents at this match.