Nyon: UEFA says Chelsea captain John Terry is eligible to lift the Champions League trophy even though he is suspended for the final against Bayern Munich.
UEFA told The Associated Press in a statement that "John Terry will be allowed to lift the trophy if Chelsea win, and collect medals."
UEFA says Terry can join his teammates in the dressing room in Munich on May 19. However, he cannot sit on the bench with the coaches and substitutes during the match.
Terry will miss the final after being sent off for kneeing Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez in the back during Chelsea's 2-2 draw at Barcelona in the semi-final second leg on Tuesday, which sent them through to the final.
The length of Terry's ban will be decided by the disciplinary body of UEFA on May 31 and his suspension is expected to rule him out of the European Super Cup - should Chelsea reach it - and possibly even early Champions League or Europa League group games next season.
Terry will not be on his own in missing out on the showpiece in Munich as Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles all picked up their third bookings in the competition against Barca, leading to one-match suspensions respectively.
Three players of the Bayern team are also suspended - David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luiz Gustavo.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said he is “gutted” that Terry will miss the Champions League final.
“There was no real malice in it [the challenge]. I’m gutted for him because everyone knows Chelsea’s in his heart,” Lampard said.
"You've got to feel for all of them [Ivanovic, Meireles, Ramires and Terry] and they're massive players that we'll miss," added the 33-year-old. "Whether we win or lose, those players who miss the final take complete credit for being involved anyway."
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