Kulesza explains her decision. “One state is brutally attacking another”

on Saturday morning he informed on Twitter that the Polish national team will not play the play-off match in Qatar. “No more words, time for action! Due to the escalation of aggression by the Russian Federation towards Ukraine, it does not intend to play a play-off match against the republic of Russia. This is the only right decision. We are in talks with the Swedish and Czech federations to present common positions to FIFA” – he wrote president.

Cezary Kulesza commented on his decision. “Talks about brutal aggression”

Kulesza explained his decision in more detail. – On Friday, analyzes and talks on this matter continued, but we feel that we are only making the right decision that we could have made. Russia invaded sovereign Ukraine in brutal aggression. The population is suffering and fleeing, therefore sport is relegated to the background. We, as a Polish federation, strongly oppose and react in the only possible way. We are not going to play with Russia. It is also a decision made after consultation with the national team players. We are waiting for FIFA’s reaction and its reflection on this matter – said the president of the Polish Football Association.

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– For two days we have been constantly observing how bravely the Ukrainians are defending themselves. We express our solidarity with them. However, we cannot pretend that a match on neutral ground would be a behavior worthy of a country that sees itself as Ukraine’s ally. Football should connect, but in a situation where one state is brutally attacking the other, then we cannot compete in a healthy and sporting competition with the national team that represents the aggressor – he added.

The players are not going to play

The same position was taken by the players of the Polish national team. They made a joint statement. “We, the players of the Polish national team, together with the PZPN, decided that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we do not intend to play in the play-off game against. It is not an easy decision, but there are more important things in life than football. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation and our friend from the national team, Tomek Kędziora, who is still in Kiev with his family, “we read in the press release. Kamil Glik, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Matty Cash made a statement in their social media.

Kulesza’s decision was also commented on by Robert Lewandowski. “The right decision! I cannot imagine playing a match with the Russian national team in a situation where armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for it, but we cannot pretend that nothing is happening” – we read on his Twitter.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

On Monday evening, Vladimir Putin officially recognized the independence of the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. On Thursday morning, 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. There are also reports of attacks on civilians. Currently, heavy fighting is underway for Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.