Wembley to host 2013 Champions League final

Nyon (Switzerland): The Champions League final will take place at London`s Wembley Stadium in 2013, for the second time in three years, UEFA president Michel Platini announced on Thursday.

Having hosted European football`s showpiece event last season, when Barcelona beat Manchester United, Wembley will again play host to the final due to "the "exceptional circumstances" of the Football Association`s 150th anniversary, Platini told a press conference. "There are always many candidates for the Champions League final and the (UEFA) Congress but this is to mark the special year of the English FA," Platini said. "Some will be surprised that we`re going back there two years later, but it was important to mark the FA`s 150th year.” "The UEFA executive committee approved this decision unanimously. They`re the oldest federation. If we forget the past, we have no future." It will be the seventh time that Wembley has organised the final of Europe`s premier cup competition, more than any other venue. Platini also announced that Toulouse and Saint-Etienne would host matches at the 2016 European Championship in France, having initially been placed on the reserve list. It swells the list of host cities for the tournament, which will be the first to feature 24 teams, from nine to 11. Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nancy, Nice, Paris (Parc des Princes) and Saint-Denis (Stade de France) had already been selected. Bureau Report