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FIFA bows to pressure and bans Russia

Updated: "All Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions."

Updated:

FIFA has backflipped on its position to allow Russia to continue in the World Cup.

In a statement, FIFA and UEFA said: “Following the initial decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee, which envisaged the adoption of additional measures, 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.

“These decisions were adopted today by the Bureau of the FIFA Council and the Executive Committee of UEFA, respectively the highest decision-making bodies of both institutions on such urgent matters.

“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents 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.”

Earlier:

England will refuse to play Russia in both the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Women’s Euros, should the sides be drawn against each other.

Scotland and Wales will also not play Russia in football matches at any level “for the foreseeable future”, including any team recognised as the ‘Football Union of Russia’.

Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic have also refused to play their World Cup play-offs with Russia in opposition to the invasion of Ukraine. The Swiss FA has told Sky Sports News its teams will not play any form of a Russian side at international football until further notice.

FIFA has come under increased pressure to ban Russia from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Following a meeting of the FIFA Council on Sunday, it confirmed:

    • Russia cannot play any FIFA matches in Russia
    • Russia cannot call itself Russia and will be called ‘Football Union of Russia’
    • No flag or anthem of Russia will be used in matches where teams from the Football Union of Russia participate
    • Next step is to ban Russia from competitions “should the situation not be improving rapidly”

A statement read: “FIFA will continue its ongoing dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sport organisations to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including a potential exclusion from competitions, that shall be applied in the near future should the situation not be improving rapidly.”

But football bodies are criticising FIFA for not going far enough.

The Polish FA once again insisted they would refuse to play against Russia “regardless of the name of the team consisting of Russian footballers and the place of the match”.

“It is clear that we are not satisfied with this,” Swedish FA president Karl-Erik Nilsson said.

“Our opinion is not different today and the situation has not changed in Ukraine just because we have received the message from FIFA, so we have no other opinion today.

“We also want to talk to Poland and the Czech Republic so that we can give back to FIFA what we think, but we had expected a sharper stance from FIFA. We would have done so.”

Source: Sky Sports

5 Responses

  1. Think this article needs an update as FIFA have now banned the outright and the IOC encourages all sports organisations to do the same. A meeting about the Paralympics on Wednesday but is a suggestion any imminent competitions are unaffected, but calls from other Paralympic/Olympic teams for them to be banned.

    Absolutey the right call when it comes to any Russian team. A bit more complicated when it comes to individuals (Medvedev becoming the number 1 in tennis isn’t great timing) and politically and morally the right thing for opposing teams to refuse to play Russian teams. Is also the basic logistics of it – Russia is banned from virtually all European airspace now so even if they could play at a neutral venue they can’t get to it.

  2. Not sure how this helps anyone. Also from what I understand the pro athletes are not aligned with the government. Yet they are being punished or dragged into this by politicians from other countries. Same was not done to the athletes of countries when the “right” nations had initiated military adventures. I am sure people can guess who they are. Naturally in this world the same rules do not apply to certain nations that can pick and choose. Not very sustainable. a split is coming.

    1. Totally agree. These sportspeople are being punished for what their government has done. What has the Russian football team done in Ukraine? Nothing, and therefore should not be punished for what their government has done, and would only encourage certain people especially Vladimir Putin to do the wrong thing (in this case invading Ukraine). And remember, the United States of America did the same thing in Afghanistan in 2001 (after 911) and Iraq (based on non-existent WMDs), and there were no calls for a boycott of the United States of America in any way, shape or form. And there has been human rights abuses by Israel, but boycotting Israel is actually illegal.

      So while boycotts (such as against Apartheid in South Africa) can bring about change, more often than not, boycott is actually punishing people for the actions of a few (Vladimir Putin). We need to support the people of both sides, because the people of Russia and Ukraine has the same dreams of peace (just like everyone…

      1. And your opinion of the Berlin 1936 Olympics or the 1980 Moscow games or, indeed the 1984 Los Angeles games-authoritarian regimes use sport as a propaganda device to support them in the eyes of the wider world or their oppressed people-DDR anyone?

        1. In the words of the greased Scotsman Groundskeeper willie (i know a stereotype based cartoon character) : “but every single Scottish person does it” In general you point is valid however as i illuded to earlier everybody does it. So if you are going to ban certain countries from doing it or critisize or punish then you have to punish all. We all know that will not happen.

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