LISBON, Portugal (AP) - UEFA will pick the 2016 Champions League final venue in September, with the San Siro in Milan viewed as the favorite.
Decisions on that season’s Champions League and Europa League final stadiums are expected at a Sept. 18-19 executive committee meeting, UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti said Saturday.
Last November, UEFA dismissed reports in Italy that San Siro - officially the Guiseppe Meazza Stadium - had been chosen, saying “Milan is only one of the several candidate venues.”
However, AC Milan director Umberto Gandini told The Associated Press he thinks the stadium shared with Inter Milan is now the only candidate.
“I believe so, I hope so,” Gandini said Saturday before attending the Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid final.
Milan previously hosted European Cup finals in 1965 and 1970, and the 2001 Champions League final.
The 2015 final is at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. The next Europa League final is at Poland’s National Stadium in Warsaw.
The UEFA board meeting in September in Geneva will also choose 13 host cities for the 2020 European Championship.
Milan was one of two venues originally presented by the Italian football federation before opting to bid formally last month with the Olympic Stadium, Rome.
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