FIFA suspend teams from Russia over Ukraine invasion

The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has suspended football teams from Russia indefinitely in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine that has left at least 240 civilian casualties.

The decision was taken on Monday by the Bureau of FIFA Council and the Executive Committee of UEFA following the initial decisions adopted by the bodies.

A statement to this effect on FIFA’s website reads, “Following the initial decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee, which decisions 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.”

FIFA had earlier refused to suspend Russia, rather limiting it to just the ban of international matches from being played in the country and the use of flag or anthem of Russia. It also said Russia would have to compete in international football under the name “Football Union of Russia (RFU)”.

With this development, teams competing in European competitions will automatically lose their places and the senior men’s national team of Russia will no longer be able to compete for a place at this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Football federations of Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden had written a joint statement to FIFA saying they will not honour fixtures against Russia in their Path B World Cup qualifying play-off games.