FIFA And UEFA Ban Russian Clubs, National Teams Over Ukraine Invasion

FIFA and UEFA have banned Russian Clubs and Russia national teams over Ukraine invasion.

Newsone reports that Russia has been expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions “until further notice”, FIFA and UEFA announced in a joint statement on Monday, February 28, 2022.

This online news platform understands that apart from the ban on Ruissia by FIFA and UEFA, the European football’s governing body also ended its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom.

Newsone Nigeria reports that Russian men’s team had been due to play in qualifying play-offs in March for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, while its women’s side had qualified for the European Championship in England, to be held in July.

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.

The Russian men’s team were scheduled to play Poland in a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final on March 24, and might have faced Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29 for a place at the finals in Qatar later this year.

But their three potential opponents insisted they would boycott the matches.

FIFA announced on Sunday that Russian teams would be allowed to continue playing under the name of the Football Union of Russia, playing home games on neutral territory and behind closed doors, and with the Russian flag and anthem banned.

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 changed its approach on Monday, kicking Russia out of the sport’s showpiece tournament.

“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.”

The decisions come after a widespread outcry, with global players’ union FIFPro on Monday releasing a statement saying it “strongly disagreed” with the initial measures taken by FIFA.

FIFPro criticised FIFA for not imposing stronger sanctions right away and said that participation of Russian teams in international competitions was now “not a possibility”.

Newsone reports that FIFA and UEFA were left with little choice except to ban Russsia after other nations declared that they will not play against Russia.