FIFA and UEFA suspend Russia from international football

FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football until further notification because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The move makes it likely that Russia will be rejected from the current year’s World Cup and the women’s Euro 2020 competition.

“FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice,” UEFA said in a statement.

“These decisions were adopted today by the Bureau of the FIFA Council and the Executive Committee of UEFA, respectively the highest decision-making bodies of both institutions on such urgent matters,” they added.

Russia were scheduled to clash with Poland in a World Cup qualifying season finisher on March 24 and assuming they stay suspended around then, they would be out of the World Cup and unfit to advance to the finals in Qatar in November.

The Polish FA had said that they will won’t play against the Russian team and the Czech Republic and Sweden, who are in a similar season finisher ‘way’, had likewise precluded confronting Russia.

The only way Russia could feature in the end of the season games would be an abrupt improvement in the circumstance in Ukraine prompting a lifting of the suspension.

“Both Presidents (of the soccer bodies) hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people,” UEFA said.

English Prime Minister Boris Johnson extolled the position taken by FIFA and UEFA.

“This is a powerful message from the international sporting community that we will not tolerate (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s abhorrent assaults on freedom and liberty. Well done FIFA and UEFA,” he said.