No smoking at Lisbon final

UEFA has emphasised its commitment to public health by declaring the venue for Saturday's UEFA Champions League final, the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon, to be a tobacco-free area.

A no-smoking policy will be in operation across all internal and external areas of the stadium once fans have passed the turnstiles for the eagerly-awaited encounter between Real Madrid CF and Club Atlético de Madrid. Inside the stadium, a loudspeaker announcement will also remind spectators of the smoking ban. The no-smoking measure brings health benefits to fans and anyone working at the match by lowering exposure to second-hand smoke. Any person using tobacco or e-cigarette products in the stadium will be asked to stop.

UEFA's decision to ban tobacco from the premium European club competition final sends a strong message to football fans and reaffirms the link between football and good health. The same tobacco-free policy was in force for last week's UEFA Europa League final in Turin. At UEFA EURO 2012, UEFA enforced a complete ban on the use, sale or promotion of tobacco in all stadiums in Poland and Ukraine.

The decision is a natural outcome of UEFA's commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles through football. This is a core theme of the European body's football and social responsibility activities, which use football's status and popularity to address some of Europe's major health, social and environmental problems.