In a response to Russia’s invasion on Ukraine in the past weeks which continue to rob Ukraine of lots of lives, the world’s football governing body, FIFA and Europe’s governing body UEFA have suspended Russian clubs and national teams from all football competitions until further notice.
The two giant football governing bodies have taken the drastic decision following the recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials are banned from any organised international competitions.
The effect of the decision is that the Russian men’s team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women’s team have been banned from this summer’s European Championship.
The following statement was released by UEFA on Monday:
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.
