On Friday at 10, an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee will begin, during which, according to UEFA, “the situation will be assessed and all necessary decisions will be taken.” It can be expected that the Champions League final will be moved from St. Petersburg to another country. It is not known, however, whether a decision will also be made on Friday what to do with the Russia-Poland play-off match scheduled for March 24.
“FIFA, UEFA, the IOC and other sports organizations will answer whether they are ruled by corrupt rogues or by real sportsmen who prefer it to be more modest and more dignified. If they really stand for values, they should exclude Russia and its teams from international competition “-
We checked in the regulations what to expect if Russia decides to exclude Russia from qualifying for the World Cup.
What about the Russia – Poland match? “FIFA has granted itself complete freedom”
Article 6 of the elimination regulations seems to be of key importance. “If a federation withdraws or is excluded from the elimination, FIFA will decide at its sole discretion and take whatever action it deems necessary.”
– FIFA has given itself complete freedom when a team withdraws or is sidelined. Therefore, any scenario is possible: both a walkover and the fact that another team replaces the excluded Russia in the qualifying rounds – explains Dr. Mateusz Stankiewicz, a sports lawyer.
It is difficult to assess the likelihood of different scenarios at the moment. UEFA may decide that the match in Moscow will take place as planned or it may move it to neutral ground. W also do not want to analyze which decision by UEFA and FIFA is the most possible. – We are waiting for official decisions – emphasize the representatives of the Polish federation. They also do not know whether, in the event of the exclusion of Russia, the Polish national team will automatically advance to the final of the play-offs, or whether Russia will be replaced by Slovakia, which took third place in the qualifying group H – behind Croatia (direct promotion to the World Cup) and Russia, with which Poland has play in play-offs.
The gateway to the exclusion of Yugoslavia in 1992 was a UN resolution
Replacing Russia with Slovakia would be a step similar to what UEFA took in 1992, when it excluded Yugoslavia from participating in the European Championship under sanctions for waging the war in Bosnia. Instead of Yugoslavia, Denmark took part in the tournament and sensationally took first place. At that time, Yugoslavia – by the decision of FIFA – could not play in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers.
However, what is important – these were not sovereign decisions of the European and world federation. They were a consequence of the UN Security Council resolution that “all countries take the necessary steps to prevent individuals and teams representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from participating in sporting events.”
Perhaps Russia’s aggression against independent Ukraine will also meet with decisive action by the United Nations.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
