Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, FIFA ban the country from all international competitions, including World Cup qualifying games in 2022.
FIFA and UEFA announced in a joint statement that the ban will apply to the country’s men’s and women’s national teams, as well as any club teams competing in FIFA or UEFA competitions.
“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,” the statement read.
“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents 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.”
Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have all pledged not to play Russia in their upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
The International Olympic Committee had previously requested that other international sports federations prohibit Russian athletes from competing in all global sporting events wherever possible.
UEFA also announced the termination of its partnership with Gazprom, a Russian state-owned energy company, which reportedly paid the European governing body $40 million per year.
After removing its name from the front of its jerseys, German club Schalke also severed ties with its Gazprom sponsorship deal.
Russian teams will be banned from participating in international competitions indefinitely. The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar in November, while the 2022 Women’s European Championship will be held in England in July.
To read our blog on “Government takes a serious step towards lifting Pakistan’s FIFA ban,” click here.