After FIFA allowed the Russian national team to continue playing in the World Cup qualifiers albeit under a different name and flag, several European football associations have slammed the global body for not acting tough on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Opponents such as Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden have said that they refuse to play with the country
FIFA on its part responded to the invasion by saying that no international matches would be played in Russia and that its national anthem and flag would be banned from matches. The country is being asked to play its 2022 World Cup qualifiers on neutral ground under the name Football Union of Russia.
But the nation’s European opponents are having none of it.
FIFA condemned the “use of force by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine” and said these would be initial measures and would be observing the situation in Ukraine.
But Fifa’s proposal was immediately rejected by the Polish football authorities.
The president of the Polish FA, Cezary Kulesza, described Fifa’s decision as “unacceptable”.
“In the situation of war in Ukraine, we are not interested in the game of appearances,” he said. “Our position remains unchanged: the national team Polish will NOT play against Russia in the play-off match, regardless of the name of the Russian team.”
The Polish FA wrote to FIFA and called for Russia to be removed from the qualifying process.
“The Polish Football Association inform that as a result of the brutal aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the war that continues there, we do not see any possibility of competing with the Russian national team in play-off matches for promotion to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 regardless of the name of the team consisting of Russian footballers and the place of the match”, the letter read.
“In the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was condemned almost all over the world, this is the only decision we can make. A performance in a match against the Russian national team would be a shameful act not just for our players but for the entire football community, contrary to solidarity with the Ukrainian nation. As football association, we refuse to participate in play-off matches in which the Russian national team appears.
Poland are due to play in Moscow on March 24 with the winners to host either the Czech Republic or Sweden five days later.
Both the Czech FA and the Swedish FA maintained that their stance remained unchanged.
FIFA responded by saying: “(FIFA) has already engaged in dialogue with all of these football associations. FIFA will remain in close contact to seek to find appropriate and acceptable solutions together.”
The French and English football bodies also called for Russia to be removed from the tournament and that their teams would not play the nation at any point.
The European football body, UEFA, has already moved the Champions League final out of Russia.
