Aleksandr Erokhin of Russia in action with Grigoris Kastanos of Cyprus, Gazprom Arena, Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 11, 2021.
Anton Vaganov | Reuters
Russian football teams have been indefinitely suspended from international competition by major governing bodies because of the country’s aggression in Ukraine.
This ban means that the Russian national team will be blocked from competing at the 2022 World Cup.
Russia was soon set to compete for one of the slots allotted to European nations in the biennial competition, to be held in Qatar.
FIFA, the world governing body for football, and UEFA, the European football watchdog, have issued the suspension of international competition along with the Russian national team and club teams.
Prior to Monday’s announcement, FIFA faced criticism on Sunday for its decision to allow Russia to continue competing for a World Cup spot.t. Russia has been set to face Poland next month in the play-offs.
In a joint statement on Monday, the groups said, “Following initial decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and UEFA Executive Committee, the tentative decisions to apply additional measures, FIFA and UEFA jointly decided today that all Russian teams, whether national representatives, teams or club teams, will be suspended from participating in FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice. new newspaper. “
“Football is here in complete solidarity and in complete solidarity with all those affected in Ukraine,” the groups said. “Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve dramatically and quickly so that football can once again become a mediator of unity and peace among people.”
