UEFA extends its sanctions to Belarusian clubs and national teams

The Belarusian football teams, as well as the national teamthey must play their European matches like locals in a neutral stadiumUEFA announced this Thursday, three days after excluding Russian teams from its competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukrainewith the collaboration of Belarus.

“The UEFA Executive Committee has decided that all Belarusian clubs and national teams entered in UEFA competitions they will be obliged to play their home games in neutral stadiums with immediate effect. In addition, no spectator will be able to attend these matches,” the European institution wrote in a statement.

This sanction completes the one announced on Monday by UEFA and FIFA on the Russian team, excluded from the World Cup, and the Russian teams, suspended from European competitions, as happened for example to the Spartak Moscow, excluded from the Europa League.

FIFA and UEFA have followed the position of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which recommended “Not to invite” Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams to European competitions international.

But while Monday’s decision was focused on the Russian teams, UEFA has waited until a new meeting of its Executive Committee this Thursday to resolve the situation of the Belarusian teams.

No Belarusian team was qualified this season in any of UEFA’s three major men’s competitions (Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League).

The national team of Belarus (94th in the FIFA ranking) has two friendly away games on its schedule in March, in India and Bahrain. As a local they must receive Azerbaijan in the League of Nations on June 6, four days before repeating at home against Moldova or Kazakhstan.

Asked Thursday during a forum devoted to football and organized in London by the Financial Timesthe president of UEFA Aleksander Ceferin declared not knowing when Russia and the Russian teams will be reinstated in European competitions.

“At the moment it is impossible to say”, valued. “Our decision, taken at this time, was the only good decision, a unanimous decision by the members of the UEFA Executive Committee. What happens tomorrow, nobody knowsI can’t give an answer. For the moment it stays that way and we wait for peace. (…) This madness must stop as soon as possible”. (D)