Invasion of Ukraine: FIFA, others axe Russia
Abdulazeez Abdulwahab
No international football matches will be played in Russia and the country’s flag and anthem will be banned from matches abroad, the world football governing body FIFA has announced in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
Key points:
•FIFA said it was considering banning Russia from competitions
•It said it would speak to three countries who have refused to play Russia in hopes of finding “acceptable solutions together”
•The IOC has also suggested not allowing competition in Belarus, which has been described as “complicit” in the invasion
•FIFA said Russia’s national teams would not compete as Russia but as the Football Union of •Russia (RFU), and any games would be held with no fans and on “neutral territory”.
However, these proposals fall short of the outright bans that many fans, clubs, players, and federations have been calling for given Russia’s use of football as a tool of soft power over the past two decades.
Last week, several national federations announced they would refuse to face Russian teams in protest against the invasion.
The Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden have reiterated their stance that their national teams would not contest World Cup qualifiers against Russia next month, regardless of location, while England’s Football Association said its national team would not play any matches against Russia “for the foreseeable future”.
These federations’ moves have been publicly backed by players, many of whom have taken to social media to criticise Russia’s invasion.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged international sports federations to either move or cancel events planned in Russia or Belarus, through which Russian troops entered Ukraine when the invasion began.
French President Emmanuel Macron has described Belarus as “complicit” in the invasion, while Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to hold diplomatic talks in the country due to its ties with Vladimir Putin.
“FIFA will continue its ongoing dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sports 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,” the statement read.
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council remains on stand-by to take any of these decisions.”
Emotional fans hug at a Premier League game Manchester City-Everton game. One holds a Ukraine flag.
Many sporting matches have featured emotional tributes to Ukraine in the wake of the invasion.
FIFA said it would try to find a solution with the three countries — Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic — involved in the World Cup qualifiers for November’s 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar.
“FIFA will remain in close contact to seek to find appropriate and acceptable solutions together,” it said.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also come under fire for his close personal ties with Mr Putin, including receiving an Order of Friendship medal after Russia hosted the 2018 men’s World Cup.
“You welcomed the world as friends and those bonds of friendship will never be broken,” Mr Infantino said at the time.
“This is not the end; it is only the beginning of our fruitful cooperation and interaction.”
Swimming, chess abandon Russia
Meanwhile, Swimming Australia said on Monday it supported a decision by FINA to cancel August’s World Junior Championships, and would not send any Australian teams to future events currently scheduled in Russia.
Chief executive Eugenie Buckley said the decision was made “based on safety reasons first and foremost”, but the SA statement also said it acknowledged “the role that sports must play within the international landscape”.
“Swimming Australia strongly condemns the actions of the Russian Government and is appalled by the developments in Ukraine,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, chess’ international governing body FIDE said it would be removing all events from Russia and cancelling sponsorship deals with any Russian companies.
