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England won’t play Russia in ‘near future’ because of Ukraine invasion, FA confirms | Football news


England and Wales will not play against Russia in football matches of any level “for the foreseeable future”, including any team recognized as the ‘Russian Football Federation’.

The decision was made “out of solidarity with Ukraine and in full condemnation of the atrocities committed by the Russian leadership,” Britain’s FA said in a statement.

This also includes playing against any party under the guise of ‘Russian Football Federation’, after FIFA introduced a series of measures to deal with the ongoing crisis.

It turns out that England will refuse to play with Russia in both the World Cup in Qatar and the Women’s Euro this summer, if the sides draw.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said it was “in solidarity with Ukraine and is deeply saddened and shocked by recent developments in the country”.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said an “inconceivable” normal sports relationship with Vladimir Putin’s Russia could continue after the invasion of Ukraine.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday said the unimaginably normal sporting relationship with Vladimir Putin’s Russia could continue after the Ukraine invasion.

FIFA has also warned Russia that it will be banned from all international football if the war does not stop.

Following Sunday’s FIFA Council meeting, it was confirmed:

  • Russia can’t play any FIFA matches in Russia
  • Russia cannot call itself Russia and will be called ‘Football Federation of Russia’
  • No Russian flag or anthem will be used in matches involving teams from the Russian Football Federation
  • The next step is to ban Russia from competitions “if the situation does not improve quickly”

A statement read: “FIFA will continue to have ongoing dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sporting organizations to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including the possibility of exclusion from competitions. contest, will be applied in the near future if the situation does not improve quickly.”

Poland urges FIFA to ban Russia from World Cup

FIFA also said it “will continue to be in close contact to work together to find appropriate and acceptable solutions” after Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic all refused to play the World Cup play-off match against Russia in protest of Ukraine.

Poland will play in Russia on March 25, with the winner taking on Sweden or the Czech Republic four days later for a spot in the final in Qatar in November.

Following FIFA’s statement, the Polish FA once again confirmed it would refuse to play against Russia “regardless of the team name including Russian players and the location of the match”.

It calls on FIFA to ban Russia from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

A statement from Poland’s FA read: “In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was condemned by almost the whole world, this was the only decision we could make.

“The performance in the match against the Russian national team would be an act of shame not only for our players but for the entire football community, in contrast to solidarity with the nation. Ukraine As a football association, we refuse to participate in play-off matches in which the Russian national team appears.

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Speaking on Sky News, the Shadow Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Powell, called for Russia to be excluded from all upcoming sporting events.

“At the same time, we call on the FIFA authorities to respond immediately to the brutal violence that we observe daily in the territory of independent Ukraine. into reality by disqualifying the Football Association. Russia out of World Cup qualifiers in Qatar in 2022.”

The Polish FA has also written to all 55 European football associations, urging them to declare that they will not play against Russia.

The Swedish Football Federation was also quick to condemn FIFA’s decision.

“Obviously we are not happy with this,” Swedish FA President Karl-Erik Nilsson told Fotbollskanalen.

“Our opinion today is no different and the situation has not changed in Ukraine just because we received the message from FIFA, so we have no other opinion today.

“We also wanted to talk to Poland and the Czech Republic so that we could give FIFA back what we thought it was, but we expected a sharper stance from FIFA. We will do so. .”

Swiss FA joins boycott of Russia

The Swiss FA told Sky Sports News Their teams will not be competing with any form of Russia at international football tournaments until further notice.

It says its placement is “non-negotiable” and that it includes the UEFA Women’s Euro group stage match against Russia in England this summer.

A spokesman said: “The SFA condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine and will not compete with the Russian national teams until further notice.

“The SFA condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which not only blatantly violates international law but also the universal values ​​of football, such as the promotion of friendly relations, as propagated in the FIFA Regulations Our concern is with the affected people in Ukraine, in particular the Football Federation of Ukraine and all its members.

“The SFA supports the position of the associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, which are calling for the exclusion of the Russian men’s team from the play-offs for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In solidarity with these associations, The SFA will not hold any friendly or competitive matches against the Russian national teams until further notice.

“If necessary, this non-negotiable position of the SFA apparently extends to their national women’s team’s first match at the Women’s Euro Finals in England on 9 July 2022 against Russia.”





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