EFL in talks over Wembley gesture for Chelsea vs Liverpool in Ukraine solidarity

The English Football League (EFL) is in ongoing discussions over a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine at this weekend's League Cup final.

Liverpool take on Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Sunday for the first piece of meaningful silverware in English football this season.

The match will be played to the backdrop of Russia 's invasion of Ukraine, with the crisis engulfing European footballing. It has led to governing body UEFA taking the decision to strip Russia of their honour of hosting this season's Champions League final.

The game was originally due to be played at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on May 28 but will now be moved to the Stade de France in Paris instead.

The EFL have confirmed that discussions remain ongoing and that it is possible that the game on Sunday, which will see a crowd of more than 80,000, could see the famous Wembley arch lit up in yellow and blue - the colours of the Ukraine flag.

Meetings are expected to take place between now and the day of the game, with other figures involved in the process said to be pushing for a gesture revolving around a peace symbol instead.

The Carabao Cup final is one of the EFL's showpiece events, along with the end-of-season play-offs which are set for May and the Papa John's Trophy final, which will be played on Sunday, April 3.

The decision to light up the arch could cause a rift with Chelsea as their owner is Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

On Friday Sofia Abramovich, the daughter of the Chelsea owner, hit out at the actions of Russian president Vladimir Putin after the nation declared war on Ukraine.

Sofia posted an image on her Instagram insisting that the Russian people do not support his stance on Ukraine.

Sofia posted an image which had the message "Russia wants a war with Ukraine" but with Russia crossed out and replaced instead to read "Putin wants a war with Ukraine".

It is a notable development as Sofia's father reportedly shares closes tie with the Russian president and comes after Labour MP Chris Bryant called for Abramovich to be banned from owning the Blues following Russia's decision to invade its geographical neighbour.

Abramovich has owned Chelsea since 2003 and overseen the most successful period in the club's history, winning countless trophies - including the Champions League twice - but is rarely seen at Stamford Bridge nowadays.

The decision to strip Russia of the Champions League final came after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin called a meeting on Friday morning amid the escalating situation in Ukraine.

Press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov responded to the decision, saying: "It's a pity, of course, that such a decision was made. But [the decision] has been made, so it is accepted."

When asked whether he considered the decision to be politically motivated, the spokesman replied: "No, I didn't say that. I just expressed regret."