Fifa has piled more pressure on Russia, announcing that the country has been banned from taking part in the upcoming World Cup. It got even worse when UEFA (European Football Association) added salt to the wound by ending its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
In a joint statement on Monday, they condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The statement read: “Fifa and UEFA have today decided 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.”
As a result, Russia’s World Cup qualifying play-off match against Poland on March 24, with the possibility of facing either Sweden or the Czech Republic, has been called off.
The Russian Football Union criticised the banning, saying the move is “discriminatory”.
“It has an obvious discriminatory character and harms a huge number of athletes, coaches, employees of clubs, and national teams,” read part of the statement from the Russian Football Union.
Meanwhile, the rugby fraternity has also banned Russia from participating in rugby tournaments until further notice.
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