Russia banned from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued on Monday, sporting bodies moved to bar Russian athletes from competing in international events, with FIFA and UEFA suspending Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football.

The move makes it likely that Russia will be excluded from this year’s World Cup and the women’s Euro 2020 tournament.

“FIFA and UEFA have today decided together 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 said in a statement. Read full story

UEFA also confirmed RB Leipzig had been given a walkover into the Europa League quarter-finals after their last-16 match with Spartak Moscow was called off and added that the governing body has cancelled its sponsorship deal with Russian energy company Gazprom. Read full storyRead full story

IOC RECOMMENDS RUSSIA, BELARUS BAN

Earlier on Monday, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) executive board recommended sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events.

Athletes from Ukraine and other nations had called on the IOC to take action after Russia launched its invasion by land, air and sea last week following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin.

The IOC said its executive board made the decision “in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants”. Read full story

The Russian Olympic Committee categorically disagreed with the IOC, saying the decision “contradicts both the regulatory documents of the IOC and the (Olympic) Charter”.

The IOC’s statement came shortly before the Winter Paralympics begin in Beijing on Friday. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will meet on Wednesday to discuss Russia ahead of the Games. Read full story

EVENTS CALLED OFF

Badminton’s world governing body (BWF) cancelled all sanctioned tournaments in Russia and Belarus, adding that no other badminton tournaments will be allocated to those regions until further notice. Read full story

BWF also said that Russian and Belarusian national flags must not be displayed and their national anthems not played at any BWF events.

Ukraine’s motorsports federation called on Formula One’s governing FIA to ban all Russian and Belarusian license holders from taking part in its competitions, which if accepted could put Russia’s Nikita Mazepin out of the sport. Read full story

Swimming’s global governing body FINA called off the World Junior Swimming Championships that were set to take place in Kazan and said that it would provide whatever support it could to members of the aquatics family impacted by Russia’s invasion.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian Tennis Federation urged the sport’s governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to immediately expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from team and individual tournaments.

ABRAMOVICH TO NEGOTIATE FOR PEACE

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich, who owns Premier League soccer club Chelsea, has accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read full story

Abramovich was asked by Ukraine to help mediate because of his background in Russia, where he made a fortune in the chaotic 1990s period of post-communist privatisation, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on condition of anonymity.