Next step against Russia
UEFA wants to get rid of donor Gazprom
02/25/2022, 10:38 p.m
The Russian state-owned company Gazprom has been one of UEFA’s most important partners since 2012. Only last year was the partnership extended from the Champions League to other tournaments, including the EM 2024 in Germany. Now UEFA is about to separate from one of the most important donors.
According to media reports from England, the European football union UEFA will end its cooperation with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, which has been in place since 2012. The gas giant was an integral part of the football circuit in Europe. He has acted as a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League since 2012. Last year the partnership was also on the EM 2024 in Germany has been expanded. According to the reports, Gazprom transferred between 40 and 48 million euros to UEFA every year.
At the end of an eventful day in sports, the separation from Gazprom is now on the agenda. Previously, UEFA had already deprived Russia of the Champions League final. This decision was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee at an emergency meeting following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On the fringes of this meeting, it was also agreed to terminate the deal with Gazprom, the report says. According to this, no more boards with the inscription Gazprom should be visible on the next match day of the Champions League on March 8th.
The Champions League final, the world’s biggest match in club football, will therefore not be played in the Gazprom Arena in Vladimir Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg on May 28, 2022, but in the Stade De France in Paris. “We believe that the decision to postpone the Champions League final is dictated by political reasons. The (federation) RFS always adheres to the principle of keeping sport out of politics and therefore cannot support this decision,” said the President of the Russian Football Union and CEO of Gazprom Neft, Alexander Dyukov, followed. Gazprom Neft is on the US sanctions list.
The 54-year-old Dyukov is currently still on the UEFA committee. Due to the current developments and in view of the US sanctions, his whereabouts in this now appear to be very questionable. The Kremlin was less affected by the decision. The Russian news agency “Tass” quoted Putin spokesman Dmitiri Peskov as soberly saying: “Of course it’s a shame that this decision was made.”
FIFA is not responding yet
In addition, UEFA had decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs in the current European Cup competitions must host their home games on neutral ground. The last remaining Russian team, Spartak Moscow, was drawn a short time later in the Europa League against German representatives RB Leipzig. It is still completely open where the second leg will be played on March 17, 2022. The move to neutral ground also applies to the national teams of the two countries in the Nations League from this summer. The playoffs in qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar, which are due in March, are FIFA competitions and the responsibility of the world governing body. In an initial assessment yesterday, Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino did not assume that the war in Ukraine would continue on March 24. On that day, Russia is scheduled to host Poland in Moscow for a playoff game as part of qualifying for the controversial Winter World Cup in Qatar.
The football associations from Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic announced their refusal to host the World Cup playoffs in Russia at the end of March. “The signatories of this appeal are not considering traveling to Russia and playing football games there,” reads a letter to FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, which the Polish association published on Twitter. In the European playoffs for the World Cup finals in Qatar (November 21 to December 18), three tickets will be awarded at the end of March. In a semi-final path, Poland are scheduled to play in Russia on March 24 with Bundesliga star striker Robert Lewandowski. If the Russians made it to the final, their opponents would be Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29th. You would then have home rights again. Ukraine will play in Scotland in their semifinals on March 24th.
Further consequences for Russia
In the past few days, Gazprom and its German subsidiary Gazprom Germania have caused a stir at second division football club FC Schalke 04. The traditional club from the Ruhr area has been sponsored by the Russian state-owned company since 2007, but in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine they will play this weekend’s game at Karlsruher SC without the company’s name on their chest. Instead, the lettering “Schalke 04” can be seen on the shirt. The heavily indebted club is currently working on alternative scenarios for ending the partnership, which brings the Royal Blues around 10 million euros a year in the 2nd Bundesliga. Alexander Warnig had previously left the FC Schalke 04 board of directors. The 66-year-old was sent by the Russian main sponsor of the Royal Blues as a co-opted member of the supervisory board in July 2019. Born in Lusatian Warnig, he is CEO of Nord Stream 2 AG and is considered a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The English record champions Manchester United also drew the consequences of the Russian invasion on Friday and parted ways with the Russian state airline Aeroflot. The contract, which ran until 2023, brought the Premier League club annual income of around 36 million euros.
Also on Friday, the Formula 1 motorsport series canceled the Sochi Grand Prix scheduled for September 25. “Formula 1, [Motorsport-Weltverband, Anm.d.Red.] The FIA and the racing teams have discussed and decided that it is impossible to host the Russian Grand Prix under the current conditions,” said an official statement. Sochi has been a permanent guest on the racing calendar since 2014, the year of the annexation of Crimea. Sochi organizer Rosgoski meanwhile wrote somewhat surprisingly to those who had already purchased tickets: “The tickets purchased will not be canceled – there is no need to request a refund as it is still possible for the round to take place and be held as planned will.”