The play-off match for the promotion in Qatar between Poland and Russia is to take place on March 24. Recent events have sparked discussions about the rightness of organizing a clash in Russia. It is about the decision made by Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of the two self-proclaimed republics in Donbas – Donetsk and Lugansk. The situation escalates. Currently, there is information that the Russian army attacked military points throughout Ukraine.
PZPN and the Ministry of Sport want a match with Russia on neutral ground
There are voices in Poland that the play-off game should not be held in Russia, and even that the Polish national team should boycott it. The minister of sport said explicitly that in the current situation the Polish national team should not go to Russia at all, and if anything, the match should take place on a neutral ground. He claims similarly.
Still on Wednesday, Mariusz Piekarski stood against these voices. Czesław Michniewicz’s agent agreed with Dmitry Swiszczow’s words. – We are calmer than in Warsaw. Poles have nothing to fear. It’s pure politics on their part. Organization and securing the match? Every country in the world can envy us this, said the head of the sports commission in Russia in the context of the organization of the Russia-Poland match. “Constant hysteria – to the point + omnipresent politics!” – annotated it.
Mariusz Piekarski changes his mind about Russia: I doubt that this match will be played.
The situation in Ukraine changed dramatically on Thursday morning. At 4:00 a.m. Polish time, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Vladimir Putin announced the start of a “military operation” and called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms. Military points across the country were fired upon.
It turns out that just a dozen or so hours was enough to change the view on this matter. “I’m afraid for Mariusz that he will be stuck in the line for a visa today, because there may not be a special line for normal people,” wrote the head of sports at Canal +, Michał Kołodziejczyk, referring to the agent’s statement, who assured that he was going to visit.
“Don’t be afraid, Michał, today the situation has changed because the real war has started, so I personally doubt that this match will be played. Yesterday’s tweet is already old and, unfortunately, rather outdated, unfortunately because I believed that there would be no war” – he replied.
The play-off match between Russia and Poland is scheduled to take place on March 24 at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow.
Source: Sport
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