In the midst of the problem that arises between Russia and Ukraine, at the present time, UEFA was emphatic in removing the Champions League final from the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, which will take place on May 28, while the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked its members to avoid holding competitions in Russia and Belarus, in addition to using the flags of these nations.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on its members to avoid competing in Russia and Belarus
With these steps, two of the most important sports organizations in the world made themselves felt against Russia accused of invading Ukraine; In addition, UEFA itself indicated that the teams of both nations must play the international competitions they have on neutral courts.
At the same time, FIFA, in the figure of its president Gianni Infantino, did not respond affirmatively to the requests of the countries Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, not to play in Russia the play-off matches between March 24 and 29, which will be defining criteria for qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Infantino declared that he prefers to take some time to give an answer and that he is optimistic that the conflict will be resolved before the end of a month.
“The first match will take place a month from now and we hope that this whole situation will be resolved well before the match. As soon as possible. We strongly believe in it. We have a body that can make decisions at any time. We will make decisions when appropriate”, explained Infantino, in statements collected by the web media Sport.es.
Infantino explained that the situation worries him and in turn stressed that he is in full study and contact with the Russian Federation, as well as with the rest of the associations that must play these matches.
“For example, with the Russian Federation and with the rest. Right now, this situation is constantly evolving. We believe that we have to continue to monitor the situation in order to adopt a decision that we will always make based on our statutes, in which a match can be suspended. In the world there are several countries with conflicts and FIFA has to deal with these situations”, he commented.
It is not the first time that FIFA has slightly delayed decisions on the suspension of matches. Two years ago and even during 2021 itself, FIFA made the decision to move the World Cup qualifying matches, a few weeks before they were held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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