RUSSIA has been expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions “until further notice”, said FIFA and UEFA in a joint statement yesterday, while European football’s governing body also ended its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom.

The men’s team had been due to play in qualifying play-offs this month for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, while its women’s team had qualified for the European Championship in England to be held in July.

The announcement also affects Russian clubs involved in European competitions.

“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,” said the joint statement from the governing bodies of world and European football.

The Russian men’s team were scheduled to play Poland in a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final on March 24, and might have faced Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29 for a place at the finals in Qatar.

But their three potential opponents insisted they will boycott the matches.

On Sunday, FIFA announced that Russian teams would be allowed to continue playing under the name of the Russian Football Union, home games on neutral territory and behind closed doors, and with the Russian flag and anthem banned.

But those measures were dismissed as “totally unacceptable” by Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza, who added that Poland will not play their World Cup play-off with Russia, “no matter what the name of the team is”.

FIFA changed its approach yesterday, kicking Russia out of the sport’s showpiece tournament.

“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” added the statement.

“Both presidents (Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin) hope that the situation in Ukraine will rapidly and significantly improve so football can again be a vector for unity and peace among people.”

Russia decries ‘discriminatory’ decision

The Russian Football Union denounced the suspension, saying that the move is “discriminatory”.

“It has an obvious discriminatory character and harms a huge number of athletes, coaches, employees of clubs and national teams, and most importantly, millions of Russian and foreign fans, whose interests international sports organisations must protect in the first place,” it said in a statement.

The decisions come after a widespread outcry, with global players’ union FIFPro releasing a statement saying it “strongly disagrees” with the initial measures taken by FIFA.

FIFPro criticised FIFA for not imposing stronger sanctions right away and said participation of Russian teams in international competitions is now “not a possibility”.

With other nations also coming out to say they will not play against Russia, FIFA and UEFA are left with little choice.

FIFA had to act quickly before the upcoming World Cup play-offs and with the draw for the tournament due to be held in Doha on April 1.

Russia was supposed to play the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland in its group at the women’s Euro in England in July.

“This is a powerful message from the international sporting community that we will not tolerate (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s abhorrent assaults on freedom and liberty. Well done, FIFA and UEFA,” tweeted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

UEFA ends Gazprom deal

Spartak Moscow were scheduled to play RB Leipzig of Germany in the last 16 of the Europa League.

It was the only remaining Russian team in European competition this season.

“Even though we are of the opinion that sport fundamentally unites, we understand and support this decision,” said Leipzig, who, UEFA told AFP, have received a bye into the quarter-finals.

FIFA, though, did not confirm if Poland will qualify directly for the final of their World Cup play-off path.

UEFA said it has ended its partnership with Gazprom, one of its main sponsors, “effective immediately”.

Gazprom has been a key sponsor of UEFA since 2012 and is believed to have been paying around 40 million euros (RM187 million) a year in a deals due to run until 2024.

Russian football federation president Alexander Dyukov, boss of Gazprom Neft, the petrol branch of Gazprom, is a member of the UEFA executive committee.

German club Schalke 04 yesterday announced it has prematurely ended its shirt sponsorship deal with Gazprom.

UEFA last week stripped the Russian city of Saint Petersburg of this season’s Champions League final, moving the game on May 28 to Paris. – AFP, March 1, 2022.