FIFA and UEFA have added to the sanctions against Russia and Putin, as the two football governing bodies the country and clubs and national teams from all football competitions.
It means the men’s national team will be barred from the World Cup in Qatar later this year while its women’s team will also be prohibited from playing in this summer’s European Championships in England, with the country suspended until further notice following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
UEFA confirmed Spartak Moscow’s suspension means German side RB Leipzig quality to the quarter-finals of Europa League without having to play.
A joint statement from both governing bodies read: ‘All Russian clubs and national teams are suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice.
‘Following the initial decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee, which envisaged the adoption of additional measures, FIFA and UEFA have today decided together 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.
‘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.
‘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.’
FIFA and UEFA are acting after Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine across land, air and sea. Multiple major Ukrainian cities have been attacked since the assault began last Thursday, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee the country.
Various international and European organisations have made moves to render Russia a sporting and cultural pariah as punishment for Putin’s violent attack on Ukraine. The UEFA Champions League final in May was switched from St. Petersburg to Paris, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for September in Sochi was cancelled, while Russia was also told it cannot participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Now Russia is set to miss out on a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar this November with FIFA and UEFA collaborating to banish the country from international football for the foreseeable future.
Russia had been scheduled to contest a play-off against Poland in World Cup qualifying on 24 March but the Polish FA, in conjunction with its Swedish and Czech counterparts, had informed FIFA it would refuse to participate in the tie. Sweden and the Czech Republic were potential opponents for Russia had they beaten the Polish.
FIFA originally sought to resolve the situation by barring the Russian national team from playing home soil, and forcing it to compete under the name ‘Football Union of Russia’, with matches held at neutral venues without supporters and displays of the Russian flag and use of its national anthem banned.
That decision led to backlash, though, and football associations including those of England and Ireland made public statements making clear their refusal to play matches against Russia.
Now, no boycott with be necessary. FIFA’s relationship with Russia has come under increasing scrutiny, with president Gianni Infantino being criticised for his perceived friendly relationship with Putin, who awarded Infantino an Order of Friendship medal after the 2018 World Cup was held in Russia.
The ban covers all Russian national teams, including the men’s, women’s, and youth squads. Russia could potentially appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
UEFA have also ended their long-running partnership with Russian gas giant Gazprom, a prominent sponsor of the Champions League, worth over €50m per year.