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Spartak Moscow would be kicked out of the Europa League by UEFA on Monday. This is reported by the German BILD.
Vincent Van GenechtenSource: image
The Russian team would no longer be allowed to participate in Europe’s second largest football competition after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, opponent RB Leipzig would be allowed to go to the quarter-finals without playing. There would be no question of moving on to another team, according to the German newspaper. Due to the airspace restrictions, it will be difficult for the Russians to move towards the European Union anyway.
RB Leizpig would expect a decision on this on Monday. “We are in direct contact with the relevant authorities and have every confidence in UEFA. We assume that these matches will be canceled,” said chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff.
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The matches between Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig are scheduled for March 10 (in Germany) and March 17 (in Russia). Spartak qualified for the 1/8th finals by winning a group with Napoli and Leicester City.
Full UEFA ban threatens Russia
The European Football Confederation UEFA is about to impose a complete ban on Russia from all competitions after its raid on neighboring Ukraine, the German news agency SID announced on Monday.
The first club to be affected by this is Spartak Moscow, the only Russian representative on the European stage this season. In the eighth finals of the Europa League they would have to compete against the German RB Leipzig. If the game is canceled, Leipzig will be allowed to go to the quarter-finals without playing. Russia is also not allowed to participate in the European Women’s Football Championship in Great Britain next summer. They would come out against the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.
UEFA previously decided to remove the Champions League final from Saint Petersburg and move it to Paris, and the sponsorship contract with the Russian gas company Gazprom is also under discussion. According to SID, the decision to suspend Russia would be supported by several federations, such as the German DFB and the English Football Association FA.
“I can’t imagine playing against Russia. That is simply impossible,” said Peter Peters, member of the FIFA council and candidate federation president at the DFB. He also calls on FIFA to issue a worldwide suspension.
