European football’s governing body said Istanbul will now host the final next year instead.

Nihat Ozdemir, head of the Turkish Football Federation, said it had negotiated with Uefa to host the 2021 final with spectators present in the stadium as the coronavirus pushed them to reconsider plans for this year.

“I want to say that we made a very right decision considering the interests of our country,” he said.

“We know that Istanbul, the city of finals, will host this spectacular organisation in the summer of 2021 which will also spark a tourism boom.”

Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoglu said Turkey did not want to host the game without fans.

“The decision made by Uefa made us happy,” he said. “Nobody should ever doubt we will host the event in the best possible way that fits our country.”

Istanbul last hosted the Champions League final in 2005, when Liverpool memorably beat AC Milan on penalties after coming from behind.