For the Russian national team, the verdict means likely end in world cup qualification. In it, on March 24, she was to present herself in the semifinals of the play-offs with Poland, and in the event of advancement, she would run into the Czechia or Sweden. However, all three opponents have previously announced that they will not compete against the Russians. Russian footballers will probably lose their participation in the July Euro in England.
The Czech Football Association, which, like Sweden and Poland, has previously announced its refusal to take action against Russia, welcomed the position of FIFA and UEFA. This is partly because the national team can easily prepare for the semifinals with Sweden.
“From the internal environment, we had signals that the situation was moving towards this decision. Especially after other unions began to join the position of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic.” stated on web chairman of the association Petr Fousek.
“Of course, the FACR leadership remains in constant contact with FIFA and UEFA, currently, for example, whether the barrage for participation in the World Championship in 2022 will remain in its original format, or whether there will be any change in this direction,” the association added. .
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In the European Cups, the decision concerns Spartak Moscow, which was to face Leipzig in the European League eighth finals in March. Both matches were canceled and the German team advanced to the quarterfinals without a fight.
The Russian Union reacted indignantly to the suspension. “The decision is clearly discriminatory and harms a large number of athletes, coaches, club and national team staff and, above all, millions of Russian and foreign fans, whose interests international sports organizations must defend in the first place,” the union said in a statement.
Originally, FIFA ordered Russia to play home games on neutral ground without spectators and banned it from using the national anthem and flag. UEFA again took over the St. Petersburg hosting of the finals of the ongoing Champions League.
Both organizations were criticized for this, and after today’s statement from the International Olympic Committee, which recommended that sports organizations exclude Russian participants from all competitions, FIFA and UEFA resorted to tougher sanctions.
“This has been decided by the UEFA Executive Committee and the FIFA Council, the two highest bodies of both organizations, which can deal with similar emergencies,” the two organizations said in a statement on the website.
“All football is united and full of solidarity with all the people of Ukraine. Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve very quickly and significantly and that football will be an instrument for peace and unity,” FIFA and UEFA said.
UEFA ends with Gazprom
At the same time, UEFA announced that it had immediately terminated its partnership with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, which was the main sponsor of its most important competitions, the European Championships and the Champions League.
“The decision comes into force immediately,” UEFA said, which was originally scheduled to expire Gazprom in 2024. According to the media, the contract brought in 40 million euros a year.
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