Ex-Middlesbrough winger stranded in Ukraine hotel amid Russia siege on country

Former Middlesbrough player Carlos De Pena says he is stranded in Ukraine and that the situation "is serious" amid the invasion by Russia.

The Uruguayan, who currently plays for Dynamo Kiev, is staying in a hotel along with a number of fellow South American players.

Pena took to social media to update people on the situation. The 29-year-old posted on Instagram to say that his family were back in his native Uruguay.

On Twitter, he wrote: "The situation is serious and I am here in Kiev. My family, thank God, is in Uruguay. I only ask you to pray and everything will be fine."

A video later posted by De Pena showed a number of players and their families and was attached with the caption: "We are together!"

De Pena joined Boro for £2.6million in September 2015 but made just six league appearances before departing in the summer of 2017.

The deal for De Pena had initially been hampered by a car crash when he was on his way back from Montevideo airport.

After leaving Boro he returned to his old club Nacional in Portugal. He then left for Kyiv in 2019 and has made more than 100 appearances.

Ukraine's domestic season was set to resume this weekend. However, it will now remain suspended amid the invasion.

Meanwhile, Russia has expressed its regret after UEFA stripped the country of the right to host the 2022 UEFA Champions League final.

The showpiece final was scheduled to take place at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on Saturday, May 28.

But following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia will no longer host the showpiece event and the match will instead be played at the Stade de France in Paris.

Press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said: "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."

A UEFA statement read: "The UEFA Executive Committee decided to relocate the final of the 2021/22 UEFA Men's Champions League from Saint Petersburg to Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The game will be played as initially scheduled on Saturday 28 May at 21:00 CET.

"UEFA wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to French Republic President Emmanuel Macron for his personal support and commitment to have European club football's most prestigious game moved to France at a time of unparalleled crisis.

Together with the French government, UEFA will fully support multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure the provision of rescue for football players and their families in Ukraine who face dire human suffering, destruction and displacement.

"At today's meeting, the UEFA Executive Committee also decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams competing in UEFA competitions will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice."