Following its invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA announced on Monday that Russia has been excluded from the 2022 World Cup and that its teams have been suspended from all international football tournaments “until further notice.” Russian clubs competing in European events are also affected by the announcement.
“FIFA and UEFA have today decided jointly that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice,” the world and European governing bodies of football announced.
Earlier on Sunday, FIFA has ordered Russia to play matches at neutral sites without its flag or anthem, threatening the country with exclusion if the situation in Ukraine does not improve.
The “urgent initial actions” announced by FIFA on Sunday were quickly criticized as insufficient by European nations.
FIFA has announced that no international football matches will be played in Russia, and the country’s flag and anthem will be banned from any of its matches overseas, after condemning Russia’s “use of force” in its invasion of Ukraine.
Cezary Kulesza, the president of the Polish Football Association, criticised FIFA’s stance and urged for Russia to be expelled out of the World Cup.
“The FIFA decision of today is completely unacceptable. We have no desire to take part in this charade of appearances. “Our position remains unchanged: the Polish National Team will not play with Russia, regardless of the team’s name,” he stated on Twitter.
