Fifa and Uefa suspend Russia from global football

 

 Football authorities have suspended Russia’s national team and clubs from major tournaments including this year’s World Cup, under intense pressure to punish President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine.

World governing body Fifa and European counterpart Uefa said in a joint statement on Monday that Russian teams would be barred from competition “until further notice”.

“

Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine

,” the two organisations said.

The move means the Russian men’s team will not be allowed to face Poland in next month’s round of qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar later this year. The women’s team’s participation in Uefa’s Euro 2022 tournament is also in doubt. Spartak Moscow was also set to play against Germany’s RB Leipzig next month in the Uefa Europa League.

Fifa’s change of stance comes after the Switzerland-based organisation faced huge criticism for an earlier decision that would have allowed the Russian national team to play in next month’s World Cup qualifiers. The head of Poland’s football association called Fifa’s original stance “disgraceful”, while the Swedish FA reinforced calls to prevent Russia from playing.

Fifa accelerated the imposition of penalties after originally saying it would continue discussions with the IOC and Uefa “to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including a potential exclusion from competitions, that shall be applied in the near future should the situation not be improving rapidly”.

The moves come after the International Olympic Committee on Monday recommended that sports organisers bar Russian athletes from competing in events.

The IOC, which developed close ties to Putin and Russia as they worked together on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, on Monday also stripped Putin of an honorary “gold” Olympic Order.

The war in Ukraine has intensified scrutiny of the links between global sport and Russia, which hosted the 2018 Fifa World Cup, forcing teams and competition organisers to reconsider partnerships and sponsorships linked to the Russian state.

Formula One, the global racing series, has abandoned the 2022 Russian grand prix, while Uefa, European football’s governing body, has moved the Champions League final from St Petersburg. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has transferred stewardship of European champions Chelsea to trustees of the club’s charitable foundation.

Uefa also confirmed on Monday that it has scrapped its €40mn-a-year partnership with Russian state energy company Gazprom, which will no longer sponsor the Champions League or Euro 2024 in Germany.

Clubs and their fans expressed solidarity with Ukraine at matches over the weekend, including at Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

Football associations across Europe had hit out at Fifa for failing to ban Russia from competing in upcoming qualifiers for the World Cup, which is the Switzerland-headquartered organisation’s flagship event.

Poland was scheduled to play Russia on March 24, with the winner to face either Sweden or Czech Republic to decide which team will compete in Qatar.

All three sides had threatened to boycott matches against Russia, while England’s football authorities warned that the English national team “won’t play against Russia in any international fixtures for the foreseeable future”.

Following the decision to suspend Russia, UK prime minister Boris Johnson said: “This is a powerful message from the international sporting community that we will not tolerate Putin’s abhorrent assaults on freedom and liberty. Well done Fifa and Uefa.”