Poland refuses to play Russia in World Cup play-off

Faced with the lack of decisions by FIFA after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Polish federation took a step forward this Saturday. The club has announced that it does not intend to face Russia at the end of March, in the semi-finals of the repechage for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“Enough talking, it’s time to act. Due to Russia’s escalation of aggression in Ukraine, the Polish team does not intend to play the classification match against the Russian team,” said Polish federation president Cezary Kulesza. “This is the only correct decision,” he added.

Poland was supposed to play on March 24 in Moscow in the final of their play-off. If the Russians won, they would receive on the 29th of the same month Sweden or the Czech Republic, who face each other on the 24th, in the other semifinal.

Poland said it was working with its counterparts in Sweden and the Czech Republic to present a common position to FIFA. The captain of the national team, Robert Lewandowski, immediately celebrated the position taken by his federation.

“It’s the right decision. I can’t imagine playing a match against the Russian national team in a situation where armed aggression continues in Ukraine,” tweeted the Bayern Munich player. “Russian players and fans are not responsible, but we cannot pretend that nothing is happening,” he added.

Sought by AFP this Saturday, FIFA has not yet reacted to the Polish Federation’s announcement. So far, the organization has not taken action against Russia and, on Thursday, limited itself to expressing its “concern” about a “tragic and disturbing” situation, according to its president Gianni Infantino.

“The first match is in a month. We hope, of course, that this issue will have been resolved long before that. We want to firmly believe that, but we can make a decision at any time,” he told a news conference on Thursday.