The English FA has held private conversations with UEFA and FIFA, urging them to ban Russia from the upcoming men’s World Cup and Women’s Euro, Sky Sports News reported. This led to the suspension of all Russian clubs and National teams from participating in any competition by FIFA and UEFA after the country invades Ukraine.
It means the Russian men’s team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women’s team has also been banned from this summer’s Euro 2022 competition. Also, the Europa League clash between RB Leipzig and FC Spartak Moscow will no longer take place following this decision, with RB Leipzig progressing to the quarter-finals.
UEFA has also ended its sponsorship with Russian Energy giant, Gazprom, which is majority-owned by the Russian state and is also a major sponsor of the Champions League. The sponsorship deal has been in place since 2012 and has been reported to be worth around £33.4m (€40m) per season.
“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,”Fifa and UEFA said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, FIFA had previously ruled that Russia must complete their upcoming games in neutral territory, under the title Football Union of Russia, and without their flag and anthem.
However, the announcement drew criticism. Scotland and the Republic of Ireland joined several other nations, including England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, in refusing to play against Russia.
The 2022 Champions League final, originally due to be played in St Petersburg on 28 May, has been moved to Paris while numerous clubs have taken their steps to disassociate themselves from Russia. Clubs like Manchester United and Schalke 04 have terminated their sponsorship deals with Russian companies.
Report by: Jeffery Addy, KNUST OBUASI