FIFA And UEFA Bans Russian Clubs And National Teams Over Ukraine Invasion
Russian clubs and national teams have been banned by FIFA and UEFA as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
FIFA and UEFA confirmed in a joint statement on Monday, February 28, 2022, that Russia has been excluded from the World Cup and has been suspended from all international competitions “until further notice.”
Apart from FIFA and UEFA banning Russia, this online news site understands that the European football governing body has discontinued its association with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
The Russian men’s squad was scheduled to compete in the play-offs for the World Cup in Qatar later this year in March, while the Russian women’s team was set to compete in the European Championship in England in July.
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The announcement by FIFA and UEFA also affects Russian clubs involved in European competitions.
“FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice,” read the joint statement from the governing bodies of world and European football.
On March 24, the Russian men’s team was set to meet Poland in a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final, and on March 29, they might have faced Sweden or the Czech Republic for a spot in the finals in Qatar later this year.
Their three probable opponents, on the other hand, have stated that they will boycott the matches.
On Sunday, FIFA announced that Russian teams would be allowed to continue playing under the name of the Football Union of Russia, with home games taking place on neutral ground and behind closed doors, and the Russian flag and anthem being prohibited.
But those measures were dismissed as “totally unacceptable” by Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza, who added that Poland would not play their World Cup play-off with Russia, “no matter what the name of the team is.”
FIFA reversed its mind on Monday, excluding Russia from the sport’s grand finale.
“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” the statement added.
“Both presidents (Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin) hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”
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The moves follow significant criticism, with the worldwide players’ union FIFPro issuing a statement on Monday saying it “strongly disagrees” with FIFA’s initial actions.
FIFPro chastised FIFA for not applying harsher punishment straight away, claiming that Russian teams’ participation in international competitions was now “impossible.”
After other nations indicated that they would not play against Russia, FIFA and UEFA had little choice but to ban Russia.
