UEFA insists no talks on Champions League final in New York

Luka Modric holds his UEFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy as he stands next to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin during the UEFA Champions League draw at the Grimaldi Forum, in Monaco, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

NYON, Switzerland — UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has denied reports in Spain of ongoing talks to play the 2021 Champions League final in New York.

Ceferin says in a statement: “This idea is currently not being discussed at all.”

UEFA is set to decide next year where to stage its marquee club game in 2021.

This week, the chief executive of Spanish Champions League rights holder Mediapro told a radio station that UEFA is “investigating the feasibility” of a Champions League final in New York. Mediapro holds the rights through 2021.

However, Ceferin says: “UEFA has no plans to stage the Champions League final outside Europe.”

In a 2016 interview with The Associated Press, Ceferin said it “might be an idea in future.”

The Spanish league wants to start playing one game a year in the United States.