Soccer-Kiev to bid to host Champions League final

Reuters

(Repeats fixing typo in fourth para) KIEV, April 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine is set to join the race to host the Champions League final in 2018 or 2019 after the decision was approved by the country's football federation on Friday. The move to stage the showpiece match at the Olimpiysky stadium in Kiev comes eight years after the country won the right to co-host Euro 2012 with neighbouring Poland. The stadium, which is home to Dynamo Kiev and holds 70,000 spectators, was the venue for the European Championship final three years ago. FFU president Andriy Pavelko said the suggestion Ukraine should enter the bidding process came from Uefa vice president, Hryhoriy Surkis, following discussions between Michel Platini and Ukrainan soccer President Petro Oleksiyovych last year. "We will stand for staging the final game in Kiev as soon as possible but this decision is up to UEFA. We can assure Ukraine is ready to make preparations for any season," Pavelko told a news conference. This year's Champions League final will be played in Berlin on June 6 and next year it will be in Milan. (Writing by Igor Nitsak in Kiev, editing by Douglas Beattie)