Ukraine situation: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian teams and national squads
Key takeaways:
- There have been displays of backing for Ukraine at football games since Russia launched its attack the previous Thursday.
- Russian football teams and national squads have been suspended from all contests by Fifa and Uefa after the nation raids Ukraine.
Russian teams suspended from all competitions:
The world and European football ruling bodies told they would be prohibited "until further notice."
It indicates the Russian men's squad will not play their World Cup play-off games next month, and the women's squad has been restricted from this summer's Euro 2022 contest.
Spartak Moscow has also been booted out of the Europa League, and their last-16 rivals RB Leipzig will go to the quarter-finals.
Uefa has also terminated its sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
"Football is completely united here and in full solidarity with all the individuals impacted in Ukraine," Fifa and Uefa stated in a joint statement.
"Both presidents expect that the crisis in Ukraine will enhance greatly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for harmony and peace amongst people."
Fifa and Uefa interfered after Belarus sponsored Russia undertook a military attack on neighboring Ukraine Thursday.
The Russian men's squad had been prepared to face Poland in a World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March.
Russian football's ruling body, the RFU, stated it "categorically disagreed" with the judgment and would challenge it "by international sports law." Spartak Moscow named the decision "upsetting," tweeting: "We think that sport, even in the most challenging times, should seek to create bridges, and not burn them."
Fifa had earlier ruled that Russia must meet their upcoming matches in neutral territory, under the title Football Union of Russia, and without their flag and anthem.