FIFA, football’s governing body, has imposed constraints on the Russian National Team in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, nations in Europe have joined in the call to refuse to play games against the aggressors.
Following in the footsteps of other major sporting bodies, FIFA imposed its own set of restrictions on Russia in light of the recent aggression against Ukraine. FIFA released the following statement on February 27 along with a list of sanctions that they had levied on the Russian national team.
“First and foremost, FIFA would like to reiterate its condemnation of the use of force by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Violence is never a solution and FIFA expresses its deepest solidarity to all people affected by what is happening in Ukraine,”
“FIFA calls again for the urgent restoration of peace and for constructive dialogue to commence immediately. FIFA remains in close contact with the Ukrainian Association of Football and members of the Ukrainian football community who have been requesting support to leave the country for as long as the current conflict persists.”
it read.
Firstly, announced the sporting body, no international competition will be played on Russian territory, with the national team, instead, playing its “home” matches at a neutral venue without spectators. Furthermore, in any competitions it intends to participate in, Russia will have to do so under the guise of the Football Union of Russia without the usage of its flag and the national anthem.
Finally, while FIFA withheld excluding Russia from future competitions – such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup – it did not completely rule out the possibility of doing so in the future.
Russia is scheduled to play Poland in a FIFA World Cup qualifier – a match Poland has refused to participate in, since. Sweden and the Czech Republic, both part of the same draw, also joined in the call to snub the Russian team for the foreseeable future.
The Football Association of England proclaimed that they would not entertain the notion of competing against Russia at any level of professional sport. Denmark, too, refused to play against Russia via a statement released on Monday morning.
