BarcelonaThe Russian attack on Ukraine continues to change the world sports calendar. And also one of the main events, the World Cup, has seen that he can not look the other way. The Polish national football team announced yesterday that it will refuse to play the semi – final match of the play-off to qualify for this November’s World Cup in Qatar, as his opponent is Russia. The president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, explained this in a statement in which he made it clear that Poles would rather be sanctioned and miss the opportunity to be in the World Cup than listen to the Russian anthem in this context. Right after the statement, all Polish players supported Kulesza, led by his star, Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski. Poland, however, is not alone. The winner of the qualifier between Poland and Sweden should face in a hypothetical final with the Swedes and the Czechs. And Sweden has already announced that it will also refuse to play against Russia “regardless of where the match is played.” The Czechs support the Swedes and the Poles, although they have not yet explained whether they would be willing not to run in a match against the Russian national team.
This Thursday, FIFA declared that the Russian national team, as well as any club in that country, could play as a local in their territory. In fact, when the play-off, the remaining picture was that in which the Russians played as locals with the Poles in the match on March 24. But both Poles and Swedes believe it is not enough to order the Russians to play in neutral territory, and demand that the Russian Federation be punished as a further measure of pressure against the Kremlin. “Due to the escalation of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, the Polish team does not intend to play the match of play-off against Russia. This is the only right decision. We are in talks with the Swedish and Czech associations to present a joint statement to FIFA “, said Kulesza, who received the support of the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, who explained that” it is not possible to play against bandits “.
Lewandowski also said: “It’s the right decision! I can’t imagine playing a game with the Russian team in a situation like this, in which the armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we cannot pretend that nothing is happening. ” Wojciech Szczesny, a Juventus goalkeeper, also expressed his support: I break my heart as I write this, my conscience will not allow me to play … I refuse to play against players who represent the values and principles of Russia! ” One of Poland’s players, defender Tomasz Kedziora, is still trapped in Kiev, as he plays for Dinamo in the Ukrainian league.
Shengelia leaves CSKA
Former Sevilla player Grzegorz Krychowiak, who now plays for Krasnodar in Russia, also released the joint statement of the Polish players. Krychowiak, an international with Poland, has so far not broken his contract with Krasnodar, unlike Georgian basketball player Shengelia, who has decided to leave CSKA Moscow as a show of solidarity with Ukraine. Georgia was attacked by Russia in 2008 as part of a conflict over control of the South Ossetia region.
The Swedish Federation, for its part, explained that “the men’s team will not play against Russia, regardless of where the match is played. The Federal Government is also urging FIFA to cancel matches play-off of March in which Russia participates ”. In another of these play-off, Ukraine will play against Scotland, loaded with high symbolic value. FIFA has so far stated that it is studying the case and will speak with all parties. He has yet to make a decision, but he will have to. FIFA gave Russia the organization of the World Cup in 2018, four years ago.
Abramovich relinquishes the presidency of Chelsea
In England, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has announced that he is handing over the club’s management to the Chelsea Foundation, saying it is in a “better position to protect the club’s interests”. The Russian tycoon, who was a member of the Duma with Vladimir Putin’s party, is facing sanctions if a proposal to prosecute Putin’s business partners in the United Kingdom goes ahead in the British parliament.
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