Russia were due to play Poland on 24 March in Europe’s World Cup qualifying play-off semi-finals, but the ban will likely eliminate them from the process and end their hopes of reaching Qatar 2022, scheduled for November and December this year. It also stands to mean Russia cannot compete in this summer’s Women’s Euro 2022, hosted by England in July.
Additionally, it will mean Spartak Moscow’s elimination from the Europa League, where they were due to face RB Leipzig in the round of 16.
Pressure began to grow on Fifa to act when Poland refused to play against Russia. Other football associations including England, Scotland and Wales followed suit in announcing they too would boycott any games with Russia.
“These decisions were adopted today by the Bureau of the FIFA Council and the Executive Committee of UEFA, respectively the highest decision-making bodies of both institutions on such urgent matters.“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”
Fifa has reacted slowly to the war in Ukraine, announcing a series of “initial measures” which would have forced Russia to play home matches at a neutral venue, to go by the name “Football Union of Russia”, and to play without the Russian flag or the national anthem, equivalent to the type of measures the International Olympic Committee issued Russia for doping offences. And football’s global governing body stopped short of an outright ban.