Initially, the Russian selection was to play a play-off match on March 24 against Poland, which kept repeating its refusal to play, even on neutral ground. As the fighting rages on in Ukraine, the game simply won’t happen. FIFA announced on Monday February 28 the exclusion of Russia from the FIFA World Cup, as well as the suspension of national teams and Russian clubs. ” until further notice “.
In a joint press release with the European Football Confederation (UEFA), FIFA considers that “Football here is totally united and in full support of all those affected in Ukraine. “The two presidents [Gianni Infantino pour la FIFA et Aleksander Ceferin pour l’UEFA] hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and quickly so that football can once again be a vector of unity and peace between peoples. »
The end of a partnership at 40 million euros per year
UEFA also broke up on Monday ” with immediate effect “ its partnership with Russian Gazprom, one of its main sponsors since 2012. The contract was estimated at 40 million euros per year, according to specialized media, and covered the Champions League, international competitions organized by UEFA as well as Euro 2024, which will be hosted in Germany.
The Russians, hosts of the last World Cup in 2018, are therefore disqualified from the play-offs of the next edition of the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, and their female selection will not be able to participate in the Euro in England, in July. Spartak Moscow, the last Russian club engaged in the European Cup this season, is also excluded from the Europa League before facing RB Leipzig in the round of 16.
Deprived of the Qatari World Cup, Russia finds itself isolated by the sports world, pending the decisions of the International Paralympic Committee, which planned to speak on Wednesday, two days before the start of the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.
The IOC symbolically sanctions Vladimir Putin
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already recommended on Monday to the international federations of “do not invite” Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams in international sports competitions. Symbolically, the IOC also withdrew “Olympic Order” – honorary distinction awarded to personalities “having illustrated the Olympic ideal” – to all senior Russian officials, starting with the President, Vladimir Putin, who has worked for two decades to make sport a tool for domestic and international promotion.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, said in a statement that the IOC’s decision would “against the regulations and the charter, first of all the spirit of the Olympic movement which aims to unite and not to divide, especially when it comes to athletes or equality of participants in the Olympic movement”.
Without waiting for the IOC, several countries had already expressed their refusal to accept the presence of Russians on their territory to compete there. The Champions League final was withdrawn in Saint Petersburg by UEFA, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Russia, which was to be held in Sochi, was canceled seven months before its scheduled date. Two very strong measures affecting symbolic events of Russian sports “soft power”.