Fifa announced a series of severe measures against Russia, on whose soil no international competition will be played, its flag and anthem are banned and its team will only be able to play under the name ‘Russian Football Union (RFU)’ due to the invasion of Ukraine.
“First of all, FIFA wishes to reiterate its condemnation of the use of force by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Violence is never a solution and FIFA expresses its deepest solidarity with all the people affected by what is happening in Ukraine”, he notes.
Fifa, in addition, “makes a new call for the urgent restoration of peace and for the immediate start of a constructive dialogue. Fifa remains in close contact with the Football Association of Ukraine and members of the Ukrainian football community who have requested support to leave the country while the current conflict continues.”
“To deal with matters related to football and in coordination with the Uefa, the Fifa Council Bureau -in which the president and the six presidents of the confederations participate- decided unanimously to take the first immediate measures, in line with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and that will be applicable until further notice,” he said.
The first measure is that “no international competition will be played on the territory of Russia, and home games will be played on neutral territory and without spectators.”
Also, “the member association representing Russia will participate in any competition under the name ‘Russian Football Union (RFU)’ and not ‘Russia’”.
And, thirdly, “the Russian flag or anthem will not be used in matches involving teams from the Football Union” of this country.
Football’s governing body added that it “will continue its ongoing dialogue with the IOC, Uefa and other sporting organizations to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including a possible exclusion from competitions, to be applied in the near future if the situation does not continue.” improves quickly. The FIFA Council Bureau remains on standby to make any of these decisions.”
“It is important to highlight that FIFA firmly believes that the sports movement must be united in its decisions on this issue and that sport must continue to be a vector of peace and hope,” he stresses.
Regarding the next qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, Fifa He stated that “he has taken good note of the positions expressed through social media by the federations of Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, and has already entered into a dialogue with all these associations. Fifa will remain in close contact to try to find suitable and acceptable solutions together.” “FIFA’s thoughts are with all those affected by this very shocking and worrying situation,” he concludes.
