UEFA handed out its final penalty to Russia invasion of Ukraine forcing Belarusian football clubs as well as the national team to play their home matches in neutral places.
Belarus is just one of four countries supporting Moscow’s actions to invade Ukraine, which has already entered its eighth day of fighting.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko appeared earlier this week that they indicated Vladimir PutinRussian forces plan to invade Moldova.
Putin’s military aide addressed security officials on Tuesday as he stood in front of a battle map that appears to show a planned operation from southern Ukraine to its small neighbor.
At the time, Belarusian army chiefs were part of the first wave of sanctions imposed by the UK government on Wednesday, with Foreign Minister Liz Truss saying Mr Lukashenko had helped and encouraged Russia’s invasion.
And now, given their continued support for Russia, UEFA has decided to act on the sports front, also banning spectators from watching matches in which Belarus is listed as the “host”.
“All Belarusian clubs and national teams participating in UEFA competitions will have to play their home matches in neutral venues with immediate effect,” the statement said.
“Besides, spectators will not attend matches in which the Belarusian teams participate as hosts.”
UEFA will make Belarusian football clubs as well as their national team play their home matches in neutral places
Belarus is just one of four countries supporting Moscow’s actions to invade Ukraine
All Belarusian clubs and national teams participating in UEFA competitions will have to play their home matches in neutral venues with immediate effect.
In addition, spectators will not be present at matches in which Belarusian teams participate as hosts.
– UEFA (@UEFA) March 3, 2022
It remains to be seen which countries would offer to host Belarus’ matches.
This comes after UEFA and FIFA banned Russia from participating in all its competitions, including the World Cup playoffs, governing bodies announced after the invasion of Ukraine last week.
Both removed Russia from all their matches, while “football can once again be a vector of unity and peace between people” in a joint statement confirming the move, which will further isolate the country’s sporting situation.
It added that football was “completely united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine”.
UEFA also bans spectators from watching matches in which Belarus is named as the “host”
This comes after UEFA and FIFA eliminated Russia from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA (pictured, President Gianni Infantino leaves) has suspended Russia until further notice after Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) ordered an invasion of Ukraine last week
Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian athletes have finally left the Winter Paralympic Games after many countries threatened to boycott the Games.
The International Paralympic Committee sparked outrage Wednesday when it ruled that Russians and Belarusians could compete as neutrals, insisting it was the harshest possible punishment under their rules.
However, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony and a backlash from teams including Britain, the IPC succumbed to pressure and banned athletes from both nations over the invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus was used as a key point for Russia’s invasion, and the former was widely condemned.
The anti-democratic regimes of North Korea, Eritrea and Syria, each led by dictators accused of human rights abuses or even war crimes, also backed Putin in their two-finger greeting to the West and the people of Ukraine after the UN vote.
However, President Lukashenko is one of the few allies Russian President Putin can turn to, and appears to have shown the latter’s plans on the map earlier this week.
The map also shows proposed combat plans for Russian troops across the country.
The Board of Directors of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has decided to refuse the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus for the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2022.
Alexander Lukashenko appeared in front of a map of the battle during a TV show that appears to describe in detail Russia’s plans to attack Ukraine
The map seems to suggest that forces will be sent from the Ukrainian city of Odessa to attack neighboring Moldova, where Russia already has troops.
It details Russia’s lines of attack on Ukraine, some of which materialized during the first few days of the invasion, such as forces storming Kyiv from the north and Kherson from Crimea.
But they also showed several attacks that are yet to take place – one even seems to point from the port city of Odessa to Moldova, suggesting that Russia plans to send troops to Ukraine’s neighbor.
Former Soviet nations have important economic and political ties, with Russia accounting for 48% of Belarus’ foreign trade.
Lukashenko owes his loyalty to Putin after supporting the then-Belarusian leader when protests nearly toppled him under his repressive regime without fair and free elections.
Mr Lukashenko, who has been accused of human rights abuses over his crackdown on the press, has since allowed Russian forces to take part in pre-invasion war games and take part in joint military exercises while accumulating troops across the country. border with Ukraine.
Lukashenko (left) is one of the few allies of Vladimir Putin (right) who remain after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
A US official has now said Belarus will join Russia in the war as soon as a new constitution rejecting the country’s non-nuclear status was approved in a referendum on Sunday.
The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Washington Post, said: “This is very clear [Belarus’ capital] Now Minsk is a continuation of the Kremlin.
Belarus’ role in the invasion has so far led to sanctions from Britain and the EU.
Ms. Trus said that Belarus “will be made to feel the economic consequences of its support for Putin.”
“We are inflicting economic pain on Putin and those closest to him. “We will not rest until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are restored,” she added.
The sanctions will affect “some economic sectors, in particular timber, steel and potash”, an EU statement said.