Athens to host 2007 Champions League final

The Olympic Stadium in Athens has won the bid to stage the 2007 Champions League final.

Olympic bid rivals London and Paris had pitched for the events, and the Stade de France was awarded the 2006 final, which also hosted the 2000 final.

Glasgow’s Hampden Park – venue for the 2002 Champions League final – will host the 2007 UEFA Cup final.

The 2006 UEFA Cup final will be held in the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven.

The Scottish Football Association received plaudits for their handling of the 2002 Champions League final when Real Madrid defeated Bayer Leverkusen and chief executive David Taylor was delighted a major European event was returning to the country.

“This is great news for Scottish football, and the planning starts now to make it an outstanding success,” he said.

“The UEFA Champions League final at Hampden Park in 2002 was a marvellous event, and UEFA were enormously impressed not only by the organisation, but also by the enthusiasm of the Scottish people.

“The SFA is highly respected in European football, and we have worked very hard behind the scenes to bring another major final to Glasgow.”