FIFA met on Monday to discuss the best course of action regarding Russia's involvement in the upcoming World Cup amid the nation's hostile invasion of Ukraine. The decision was handed down at the conclusion of the meeting, with FIFA having imposed an indefinite ban on Russia and its teams. Thus, the Russian national soccer team will not be able to partake in the FIFA World Cup in 2022, per the NY Times.
Breaking News: FIFA will ban Russia and its teams, ejecting the country from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup only weeks before it was to play for one of Europe’s final places in the tournament. UEFA will join FIFA in issuing and honoring the ban. https://t.co/TVD3uh1oUY pic.twitter.com/cqv9ZvVv7h
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 28, 2022
FIFA had initially revealed sanctions against Russia on Sunday, but the sanctions were harshly criticized for their lack of punishment. The world's soccer governing body had initially proposed to temporarily ban the use of the nation's name, flag, and national anthem, and prohibit the nation from hosting any international matches. Most felt those punishments were insufficient, and the backlash received by FIFA prompted further action from the governing body.
At the forefront of the voices aiming to bar Russia from the competition were Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. Those three nations all had World Cup qualifying matches scheduled against Russia but did not feel comfortable participating in the matches.
It's also being reported that officials at UEFA are planning to follow suit. Russian club Spartak Moscow was removed from the UEFA Europa League, which will see German side RB Leipzig automatically qualify for the next round of the competition.
After failing to meet expectations in their first act of discipline, FIFA dropped the hammer on Russia in a much more serious manner on Monday, leaving the nation outside of the World Cup, and even the Europa League.
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