On Tuesday, the government unequivocally agreed to the granting of visas for the football players of the Kazakh team, who will thus be able to play in Pilsen with players from Russia and Belarus. Tobol has three Russian and one Belarusian footballer in its squad, none of whom originally flew to Prague with the team. Club co-owner Alimžan Kaldijarov na instagram he said that without them, Kostanaj might not have started the match at all.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government in June approved a ban on the start of Russian and Belarusian athletes on Czech territory. Although Belarus did not actively participate in the war, it allowed Russia to launch attacks from its territory. According to the interpretation of the National Sports Agency, the regulation only applies to representatives of their countries.
Bartoš emphasized that Tobol had started in Switzerland and Ireland in previous preliminary rounds. “Sanctions are built so that we have some tool against Russia, which is waging an aggressive war. They should not harm the Czech Republic,” he said. Russians and Belarusians do not represent their countries in European football matches. “How to proceed in the future is a question for the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he referred to another pirate minister, Jan Lipavský.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Cabinet wrote that it decided to grant the visas so that Pilsen would not face disciplinary proceedings by UEFA, including potential sanctions. “This would not only lead to financial losses, but above all damage to the prestige of Czech football,” said the Straka Academy.
Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) also pointed out that other states followed a similar procedure and it is not about representatives. “That’s why I voted in favor, but otherwise I agree with the procedure of the Czech Republic and the government, which is very strict,” he said. According to him, the government would choose the same procedure in the case of other collective sports and clubs from other countries.
2023-08-30 10:52:11
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