Poland national team goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made striking comments for the President of Russia Vladimir Putin after ordering the invasion of Ukraine.
Szczesny condemned Putin’s decision until Russia invaded Ukraine. The Juventus goalkeeper considers Ukraine as his second country because his wife, Marina Luczenko, is from that country.
“My wife was born in Ukraine, there is Ukrainian blood running through my son’s veins, part of our family is still in Ukraine, many of my workers are Ukrainian and they are all great people,” Szczesny wrote on Instagram.
“Seeing the suffering on their faces and the fear for their country, made me realize that I can’t sit still and pretend nothing happened.”
Szczesny then considered Putin’s decision to order the Russian military to invade Ukraine made Russia not only ‘attack’ Ukraine.
“When Putin decided to attack Ukraine, he declared war not only on Ukraine, but also on all the values that Europe stands for. Freedom, independence, but most importantly peace,” wrote Szczesny.
[Gambas:Instagram]
Szczesny also supported the Polish Football Federation’s decision to refuse to face Russia in the 2022 World Cup playoffs on March 24.
“On March 24 Poland was supposed to play Russia in a match play-off for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. And although my heart is breaking as I write this, my conscience won’t let me play. Representing your country is the greatest honor in a footballer’s career, but it is still an option,” Szczesny wrote.
“I refuse to play against players who choose to represent Russian values and principles! I refuse to stand on the pitch, wear my country’s colors and listen to the Russian national anthem! I refuse to take part in sports even those that legitimize the actions of the Russian government, ” continued Szczesny.
Finally, Szczesny asked FIFA and UEFA to immediately take a decision regarding the situation involving Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
[Gambas:Video CNN]
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