This suspension comes shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine and will likely result in the Russian team being excluded from the forthcoming World Cup in Qatar.
The entities stated that football was united in Ukraine and stood in solidarity with all those affected by the crisis. “Both Presidents are hopeful that the situation will improve in Ukraine quickly so that football can once again be a vehicle for unity and peace between people.”
FIFA is responsible for soccer around the world, while UEFA (one of six continental organizations) governs European soccer. The last also announced that it had ended its partnership and cooperation with Gazprom (a Russian state-owned energy company, which is one of UEFA’s major sponsors).
“The decision is immediate and covers all existing arrangements including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA National Team Competitions,” UEFA stated.
These decisions were made after international pressure on Russian sports organizations to end ties and relocate international sporting events taking place in Russia. UEFA had already moved its major football final from Russia to France. The Polish and Czech national soccer team refused to play against Russia in the World Cup qualifiers. The U.S. Soccer Federation said that they would not play each other in the near future, but it wouldn’t “tarnish our global games” or “dishonor Ukraine” by playing on the “same fields as Russia.”
On Sunday, FIFA was also criticized for announcing that Russia would no longer participate in FIFA soccer matches. However, it could still play as the “Football Union of Russia.” The president of Poland’s soccer federation called the decision “totally inacceptable” and stated that their team was “not interested in playing in this game.”
