FIFA and UEFA have announced on Monday the suspension of national selections and Russian clubs “until new order” in response to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
Initially, the Russian selection had to play a dam match on March 24 against Poland, who kept repeating his refusal to play, even on neutral ground. While the fights are raging in Ukraine, the match will simply not take place. FIFA announced, Monday, February 28, the exclusion of Russia from the Football World Cup, as well as the suspension of national selections and Russian clubs “until further order”.
In a common statement with the European Football Confederation (UEFA), FIFA considers that “Football is totally plain and in full support for all those affected in Ukraine.” “The two presidents [Gianni Infantino for FIFA and Aleksander Ceferin for UEFA] hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and quickly so that football can again be vector of unity and peace between peoples. “
the End of a partnership at 40 million euros per year
UEFA has also broken Monday “with immediate effect” its partnership with Russian Gazprom, one of its main sponsors since 2012. The contract was estimated at 40 million euros per year, according to specialized media, and covered the Champions League, international competitions organized by UEFA as well as Euro 2024, which will be organized in Germany.
The Russians, hosts of the last world in 2018, are therefore disqualified from the dams of the next edition of the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December, and their female selection will not be able to participate in the ‘Euro in England, in July. The Spartak Moscow, last Russian club engaged in Europe Cup this season, is also excluded from the Europa League before facing the RB Leipzig in the round of 16.
Private from World Qatari, Russia is isolated by the sports world, pending the decisions of the International Paralympic Committee, which has planned to express oneself Wednesday, two days of the kickoff of the Paralympic Winter Games from Beijing.
The IOC sanctions symbolically Vladimir Putin
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already recommended Monday to the international federations to “do not invite” Russian and Belarus’ athletes and teams in international sports competitions. Symbolically, the IOC has also withdrawn “the honorific Olympic order” attributed to personalities “having illustrated the Olympic ideal” – to all Russian senior officials, starting with the President, Vladimir Putin, who has been working Two decades to play sports a tool for internal and international promotion.
Stanislav Pozdniakov, Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee, said in a statement that the IOC decision was going “against the regulations and the Charter, in the first place the spirit of the Olympic Movement which aims to unite and not to divide, especially when it comes to athletes or equality of the participants in the Olympic movement “.
Without waiting for the IOC, several countries had already said their refusal to accept the presence of Russians in their territory to compete with competitions. The Champions League Final was withdrawn from St. Petersburg by UEFA, and the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix, which was to be held in Sochi, was canceled, seven months before his planned outfit. Two very strong measures affecting the symbolic events of the “Soft Power” Russian sports.