Valencia president Amadeo Salvo has praised UEFA for switching their Europa League last-32 clash with Dynamo Kiev to Cyprus due to safety concerns.

The Spanish outfit had been due to travel to Kiev this afternoon for the tie, but safety concerns in the Ukraine capital forced UEFA to move the match to a neutral ground.

Salvo told gathering reporters: "The footballers are having lunch and in a couple of hours we will fly to Cyprus. Playing in Kiev was going to be very complicated. They guaranteed our safety but there are many unexpected events happening that we can't control and the best thing is to play at a neutral ground.

"Common sense has prevailed and UEFA have worked hard to find a solution... you have to understand the position of each party: of UEFA, Dynamo Kiev and Valencia."

"This is the best solution, the most positive outcome, with no date change. We will arrive two hours later, with respect to the players' planned rest time, but our Liga calendar doesn't change, nor the planned training sessions."

A number of civilians have recently been killed in the violent clashes in Kiev.