Valencia President Amadeo Salvo believes switching Valencia’s Europa League tie with Dynamo Kiev to Cyprus was the only option.
Political unrest in the Ukraine capital led UEFA to move Thursday game to a neutral venue, with the decision made little more than 24 hours before kick-off.
Indeed, Valencia were at the airport waiting for a decision to be made, with Salvo telling Spanish radio the club had to be prepared for any eventuality.
“The decision had to be co-ordinated with many parties, including Dynamo Kiev, who had to think about the fans with 30,000 tickets sold,” Salvo said.
“Maybe they could have made the decision [Tuesday] afternoon or evening but they decided to wait a little to see if we could negotiate or appease the situation in Kiev.
“First thing in the morning we were in contact with UEFA. We knew almost certainly we were not going to travel to Kiev but presented ourselves at the airport at the appointed time.
“We were trying to negotiate and discuss organisation and we spoke [on Tuesday] about the possibility of organizing a game in a neutral country.
“Finally sanity has prevailed and we are playing in Cyprus. I think that’s good for everyone.”
