The International Olympic Committee has called on sports organizations to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events.
The IOC’s decision comes after a meeting of the Executive Council, which discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and it should pave the way for FIFA to finally remove the Russian football team from the World Cup.
The committee withdrew the Olympic order from Vladimir Putin “given the extremely serious violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past.”
FIFA has been declared an “absolute disgrace” because it has failed to oust Russia from the World Cup.
The world’s governing body for football announced sanctions against Russia on Sunday, but they suspended a total ban on participating in international competitions.
Russia has been allowed to compete under the name “Football Union of Russia” without a flag or anthem, and it must find a neutral country to host its matches.
But the pressure on FIFA is growing by the hour. IN Government of the United Kingdom he was determined to condemn the organization for failing to take action, according to the Telegraph, and Labor MP Chris Bryant described the organisation’s reaction as a “failure”.
However, FIFA is now “in advanced negotiations for a complete suspension of Russia until the next order”, according to BBC.
They are expected to work closely with UEFA and an announcement is expected later today.
FIFA is under increasing pressure to remove Russia from the World Cup and other competitions
FIFA’s initial response to the invasion of Ukraine appears to have been an attempt to act in a manner largely consistent with the inclusion of the Russian Olympic Committee in the 2022 Winter Olympics. This allowed Russian athletes to compete, although Russia received a two-year ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2019 due to the state-sponsored doping program
However, the IOC’s decision seems to change the game, and not just for football.
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev today became number one in the world in his sport, but may not have a chance to defend his ranking.
US Open champion Medvedev took to the court in Acapulco, Mexico, last week hours after Novak Djokovic’s quarterfinal loss in Dubai, which meant the Russian will replace him at the top of the men’s rankings today [Monday].
This happened on the same day that his country invaded Ukraine, and now he can feel some of the consequences of Russian aggression. However, Medvedev insisted that his goal was to promote peace.
Russian tennis player and world number one Daniil Medvedev may not defend his ranking
“As a tennis player, I want to promote peace around the world,” said the 26-year-old after reaching the semifinals of the ATP 500, defeating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.
“We play in so many different countries. I have been to so many different countries as a teenager and as a professional. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. I am for peace.
Medvedev’s compatriot Andrei Rublev is seventh in the world rankings. He teamed up with Ukrainian Denis Molchanov to win the doubles title in Marseille last week.
UEFA, the European governing body of football, is also expected to take further action against Russia, removing Spartak Moscow from the Europa League.
After depriving the country of the Champions League final, which was to take place in St. Petersburg on May 28, and handing it over to Paris, UEFA is now ready to expel Spartak Moscow from the Europa League.
Spartak Moscow is expected to be expelled from the European Champions League by UEFA
Spartak was supposed to play with the German Bundesliga team, RB Leipzig in the round of 16, but according to Bild, the draw is now expected to be canceled.
“We continue to maintain close contacts with the associations and have full confidence in UEFA and their decision,” Leipzig head Oliver Minzlaff told the German newspaper.
“We assume that the games will be canceled.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) awards the Order of Friendship to FIFA President Gianni Infantino during a ceremony in 2019.
The European football governing body had already banned Spartak from playing their home game in Russia.
The moves by the IOC and UEFA have only increased pressure on FIFA, which seemed increasingly out of step with European football and the sports world following Vladimir Putin’s relentless invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.
Four days of rockets, shelling and fighting have led to the flight of more than 500,000 refugees, mostly women and children, from Ukraine to the West, with some children separated or even orphaned since the invasion began. Queues of up to 25 miles are reported on the border with Poland.
The horrific reality of Putin’s war has been revealed in images coming from Ukraine, depicting the killing of young children, their deranged parents and the desperate efforts of medics to save them.
Today, President Vladimir Zelensky said in a televised address that 16 Ukrainian children had been killed and 45 wounded in the four days since the invasion began.
An explosion lit up the night sky over Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday as Russia launched a comprehensive attack on Ukraine from the north, south and east with bombs, cruise missiles and rockets falling from the sky
A huge explosion was seen at a military base in Vinnytsia, central Ukraine, after the country came under total attack from Russia.
The English Football Association has already confirmed that it will not play with any team from Russia, regardless of their name.
The FA is one of seven associations that have announced a total ban on matches with Russia. Others include the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Scotland, Sweden and Wales.
The FA wants Russia banned from this year’s tournament and has said it will not play with the country’s representative teams at any level or age group in the foreseeable future. England’s 17-year-old match with Russia in the elite round of the European Championship, which was to take place on March 26, was canceled on Sunday night.
Russia is set to face Poland in the World Cup playoffs next month, with Sweden and the Czech Republic playing with the winners for a place in Qatar, but all three said over the weekend they did not want to play.
Poland’s FA President Cesari Kulesha said yesterday that FIFA’s decision was “completely unacceptable”.
A firefighter inspected the damage to a building after a rocket attack on the city of Kyiv
“We are not interested in participating in this show game,” he tweeted.
“Our position remains intact – the Polish national team will not play with Russia, no matter what the name of the team.”
Swedish FA President Carl-Erik Nilsson told the Fotbollskanalen website: “It is clear that we are not happy about this.”
Albania, which is set to play twice with Russia in the League of Nations in June, has also said it will boycott its matches.
Today, MP Chris Bryant said he was “spitting furiously at FIFA”.
“Doesn’t FIFA understand?” He told the Telegraph: “What are they missing? That was a crash before last week.
“It simply came to our notice then. This is an absolute disgrace. Russia should not play international sports, the end of history. We cannot go down in history as the generation that refused to do everything in our power. “
FIFA said in a statement on Sunday that it was “taking initial measures regarding the war in Ukraine”.
The six presidents of the confederations unanimously decided to take immediate first steps in line with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, the statement said.
“FIFA will continue its ongoing dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sports organizations to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including potential exclusion from competitions, which will be implemented in the near future if the situation does not improve quickly.”
It appears that this sanction will now be implemented within 24 hours.
Labor MP Chris Bryant condemns FIFA as ‘ruin’ and ‘absolute disgrace’
Amid growing tensions, Ukrainian President Zelensky’s office announced on Monday that Ukraine and Russia will meet at an unspecified location on the border with Belarus, where a Russian delegation awaits on Sunday.
But the Kremlin’s ultimate goals in Ukraine – and what steps could be enough to satisfy Moscow – remain unclear.
The rapid development of events came when scattered fighting was reported in Kyiv, battles broke out in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, and strategic ports in the south were attacked by Russian forces.
As Russian troops approach Kyiv, a city of nearly 3 million people, the capital’s mayor has expressed doubts that civilians can be evacuated.
Across the country, Ukrainian defenders put up fierce resistance, which seems to have slowed Russia’s progress.
Meanwhile, a senior European Union official has outlined plans for the 27-nation bloc to close its airspace to Russian airlines and finance the purchase of weapons for Ukraine.