The move makes it likely that Russia will be excluded from this
year's World Cup and the women's Euro 2020 tournament.
"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," UEFA said in a statement.
In a statement the Russian Football Federation said it
"categorically disagreed" with the decision and added that it
was contrary to the "spirit of sports".
UEFA also confirmed RB Leipzig had been given a walkover into
the Europa League quarter-finals after their last-16 match with
Spartak Moscow was called off and added that the governing body
has cancelled its sponsorship deal with Russian energy company
Gazprom.
IOC RECOMMENDS RUSSIA, BELARUS BAN
Earlier on Monday, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC)
executive board recommended sports federations ban Russian and
Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events.
The IOC said its executive board made the decision "in order to
protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the
safety of all the participants".
The Russian Olympic Committee categorically disagreed with the
IOC, saying the decision "contradicts both the regulatory
documents of the IOC and the (Olympic) Charter".
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina said she will not play
against Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the Monterrey Open, and
refused to play against any Russian or Belarusian players until
tennis' governing bodies implement the IOC's recommendations.
The IOC's statement came shortly before the Winter Paralympics
begin in Beijing on Friday. The International Paralympic
Committee (IPC) will meet on Wednesday to discuss Russia ahead
of the Games.
The British Olympic Association together with the National
Olympic Committee of Germany demanded the immediate exclusion of
Russia and Belarus from international sport.
EVENTS CALLED OFF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also suspended
all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from its
competitions until further notice.
It also withdrew Russia's hosting rights for the Dec. 26-Jan. 5
World Junior Championship out of concern for the well-being of
players, officials and fans.
Badminton's world governing body (BWF) cancelled all sanctioned
tournaments in Russia and Belarus, adding that no other
badminton tournaments will be allocated to those regions until
further notice.
Swimming's global governing body FINA called off the World
Junior Swimming Championships that were to take place in Kazan,
while the World Curling Federation began the process of removing
the Russian federation's entries from the World Championships.
Ukraine's motorsports federation called on Formula One's
governing FIA to ban all Russian and Belarusian license holders
from taking part in its competitions, which if accepted could
put Russia's Nikita Mazepin out of the sport.
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) executive board
called for all international events to be removed from Russia
and Belarus.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that
it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its
southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it
regards as dangerous nationalists.
Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich, who owns
Premier League soccer club Chelsea, has accepted a Ukrainian
request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of
Ukraine.
Abramovich was asked by Ukraine to help mediate because of his
background in Russia, where he made a fortune in the chaotic
1990s period of post-communist privatisation, a source with
knowledge of the matter told Reuters in the Ukrainian capital
Kyiv on condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru and Rory Carroll in Los
AngelesEditing by Christian Radnedge and Pritha Sarkar)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|