FIFA suspends Russia from international soccer
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FIFA and UEFA on Monday announced that they will suspend Russia's national and club teams from all international competition "until further notice" due to the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The big picture: It follows a slew of boycotts and condemnation by sports organizations in response to Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
- UEFA added in a separate announcement that it is ending its partnerships with Russian oil giant Gazprom across all competitions "effective immediately."
What they're saying: "Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine," the organizations wrote in a statement. "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."
Catch up fast: The Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden soccer federations last week said they will not participate in World Cup qualifier matches slated to take place in Russia next month.
- FIFA announced Sunday that no international soccer matches will be played in Russia, with "home" matches for the Russian team being played on neutral territory with no spectators.
- At the time, it said that Russian national teams would be allowed to play in tournaments, but under the name of "Football Union of Russia" without any flag or anthem used during games.
- The association added at the time that it was in an ongoing dialogue with other sports organizations, including the IOC, to determine whether Russia would be excluded from competitions.
State of play: Russia was scheduled to play against Poland in a qualifying match on March 24. If the suspension lasts until that date, the team will be excluded from the World Cup.
- The suspension also covers the Russian national women's team, which was set to play in the UEFA Euro Championship later this year.
Go deeper: The latest on the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.
