The 2017 Champions League final in Cardiff "could be played under a closed roof for the first time," according to the London INDEPENDENT. UEFA will make the decision "closer to the June 3 final" at the Principality Stadium, local organizing committee execs said on Friday. The roof of the 74,500-capacity stadium has been closed in the past for Wales rugby internationals, but "shutting it for European club football's showpiece event would see UEFA break new ground." There is, however, a precedent for a major football match being staged indoors as England played Argentina at the 2002 World Cup in Japan at the Sapporo Dome. FA of Wales local organizing committee Project Dir Alan Hamer said, "I think most footballers prefer natural conditions, but it is an interesting one" (INDEPENDENT, 4/8). The BBC reported Hamer said that the FAW "hopes bringing the final to Cardiff will lead to an increase in participation." Hamer: "We were very clear from the outset that one of our three objectives was to leave a lasting legacy. There'd be no benefit for the FAW to stage an event for the kudos. There has to be a tangible legacy" (BBC, 4/7).