Russian clubs and national teams have been suspended from all football competitions until further notice as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, according to FIFA and UEFA.
Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic all already declined to play against Russia.
UEFA and FIFA, the world and European governing organizations of football, announced on Monday that all Russian club and national teams have been barred from participating in competitive matches until further notice.
“FIFA and UEFA have today decided jointly that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice,” UEFA stated in a joint statement.
Russia was set to host Poland in a World Cup qualifying playoff on March 24, and if they are still suspended at that time, they will be eliminated from the men’s World Cup, which begins in November in Qatar.
All Russian national teams would be suspended, including the women’s squad, which is scheduled to compete in the Women’s Euros in England in July.
The revelation comes a day after FIFA announced that no international football matches would be played in Russia for the foreseeable future due to the Russian invasion. However, FIFA announced on Sunday that Russia would be permitted to continue their World Cup qualifying campaign.
FIFA also stated that Russia will have to compete under the name “Russian Football Union (RFU).” In matches involving the Russian squad, no Russian flag or anthem were to be used. That declaration came a day after Poland became the first country to take action.
“We can’t pretend that nothing is going on,” Robert Lewandowski, the country’s top striker, wrote on Twitter.