Fifa finally get tough with Russia
MOSCOW — Russia were cast into the sporting wilderness on Monday night with their athletes and national teams barred from international competitions with immediate effect.
On an extraordinary day which saw a rare display of unity from football governing bodies Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) and Union of European Football Association (Uefa): Russian domestic sport and leagues were permitted to continue.
“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,” read a joint statement.
“Football is fully united and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both presidents of Fifa and Uefa hope the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace among people.”
Monday’s dramatic developments followed an earlier show of leadership from the IOC, which took the unprecedented step of recommending a worldwide sporting ban for Russian and Belarussian athletes and teams — rather than permitting them to participate as neutrals.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said they were acting to protect the integrity of international sport in the context of many Ukrainian athletes being unable to compete following Russia’s invasion.
Fifa had appeared reluctant to expel Russia from the World Cup given president Gianni Infantino’s close links to Vladimir Putin but on Sunday they made it clear that they would be guided by the IOC — and that the sporting world should be united in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The ban also extends to athletes from Belarus, the country that has assisted Putin’s offensive by allowing their territory to be used to station troops and launch attacks.
They may be permitted to take part in the Winter Paralympics as neutral athletes due to the logistical difficulties of removing them at short notice, with a final decision to be made by the International Paralympic Committee board at a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday (today).
‘In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants the IOC executive board recommends that international sports federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions,” an IOC statement read.
“Wherever this is not possible, the IOC strongly urges sports federations and organisers of sports events to do everything in their power to ensure that Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams.
“No national symbols, colours, flags or anthems should be displayed.”
Russia have the right to appeal against the suspensions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, where they were successful in 2020 in getting bans on using their flag and anthem — following doping violations — reduced from four years to two, while other uncertainties remain.
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.