Jakub Kwiatkowski, press officer of the Polish national football team, announced the team’s decision not to come to Russia for the 2022 World Cup qualification matches. His words are reported by Sport24.
“Official statement by Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. We are not going to play in your country,” Kwiatkowski said. The press services of the national federations emphasized the inadmissibility of holding qualifying games on the territory of Russia and stated that they expect an immediate reaction from the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). They also expressed hope for the development of alternative venues for the playoffs.
On February 22, Polish Minister of Sports Kamil Bortnichuk said that the players should not fly to Russia due to the difficult political situation, and promised to ask UEFA to transfer the meeting to a neutral field. “If the transfer is not approved, we will think about what to do,” the functionary added.
The qualifying match of the World Cup between Russia and Poland is scheduled for March 24 and should be held at the Moscow stadium “VTB Arena”. On March 29, the winner will compete for the right to enter the world championship with the best in the Sweden-Czech Republic pair.
Source: Lenta
Kingston 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.
