Official: FIFA suspends Russia from all its competitions, including the 2022 Qatar World Cup

These decisions were adopted today by the FIFA Council Bureau and the UEFA Executive Committee, respectively.

The FIFA and the UEFA jointly decided to suspend all Russian national teams and clubs from both competitions until further notice, which implies the exclusion of Russia the Qatar World Cup 2022for which he had to play the playoffs.

These measures were adopted today by the FIFA Council Bureau and the UEFA Executive Committeethe highest decision-making bodies of both institutions in these urgent matters, given the invasion of Russia to Ukraine started on February 24.

“Football is totally united and is fully in solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both presidents hope that the situation will improve significantly and quickly so that football can once again be a vector of unity and peace between peoples,” the two organizations said in a statement.

The joint resolution of the FIFA and the UEFA was made public after the recommendation made this Monday by the IOC to the federations and the organizers of competitions, so that “they do not invite or allow the participation of Russian or Belarusian athletes or leaders”.

The precedent of a similar sanction occurred on October 1, 1992, when the FIFA announced the expulsion of Yugoslavia of the qualifying round for the USA World Cup 1994as a consequence of the sanctions against Serbian and Montenegrin who imposed the UN by the conflict in the Balkans, and that had previously left him out of the Euro 92in which Denmarkwho took her place, was proclaimed champion.

The Russia national team He had yet to play the playoffs to opt for one of the three European places that still remain for the World Cup in Qatar 2022. Their first match was scheduled for March 24, against Poland, as local.

In case of overcoming it, they had to face, again in their field, the winner of the duel between Sweden and the Czech Republic on March 29.

In the Europa League, the Russian team Moscow Spartak He qualified for the round of 16, in which he was paired with Leipzig German, to play next March 10 and 17.

Until now, the federations of England, Albania, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, Sweden, France and Welsh have announced that they will not face Russia in any competition and category.

The FIFA already announced on Sunday, after a meeting of the Bureau of its Council, a series of measures against Russiaamong them, that no international competition be held in its territory, in addition to vetoing its flag and its anthem.

According to these measures, Russia could only play under the name ‘Russian Football Union (RFU)’ and its matches as a local team would be played on a neutral field and without an audience. The recommendation made today by the IOC, and already adopted by international federations of other sports, in addition to the FIFAaims to “protect the integrity of world sports competitions and the safety of all participants”.

The body maintained that its desire is “not to punish athletes for the decisions of their government, if they do not actively participate in them”, but added that “the current war in Ukraine puts the Olympic Movement in a dilemma”.

“While the athletes of Russia and Belarus could continue to participate in sports competitions, many athletes from Ukraine prevented from doing so due to the attack on their country,” stressed the IOC.

On the 25th and after the entry of Russian troops into Ukrainethe UEFA decided that St. Petersburg do not host the next final of the Champions League on May 28, and chose the Stade de France Saint-Denis, in Paris, as the new venue for the competition.