Last week, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced the removal of the upcoming Champions League final from St. Petersburg, Russia, choosing Paris as the replacement option.
On Monday, UEFA, along with soccer’s governing body, FIFA, took it a step further, announcing the suspension of Russian national teams and clubs from all competitions.
“Following the initial decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee, which envisaged the adoption of additional measures, 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 and FIFA said in a statement.
“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” the statement continued. “Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”
Also on Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that “International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions.”
The IOC also withdrew the Olympic Order — given to individuals who have “rendered outstanding services to the Olympic cause through their contribution to the development of sport” — from Vladimir Putin. The Russian President was awarded the Olympic Order in 2001.
The sports world has taken a hard stance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, removing multiple future sports events from Russia.
On Friday, Formula One announced it has canceled the Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September.
“We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation,” F1 said in a statement. “On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.”
Additionally, soccer federations for Sweden, Poland, and the Czech Republic said their teams will not travel to Russia for World Cup qualifiers.
“Based on the current alarming development in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including the security situation, the Football Associations of Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic express their firm position that the playoff matches to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for 24 and 29 March 2022, should not be played in the territory of the Russian Federation,” the federations said in a joint statement according to Fox News.
On Friday, Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on the television camera following his win over Hubert Hurkacz at the Dubai Duty Tennis Championships.
Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev writes "No war please" on the camera following his advancement to the final in Dubai. pic.twitter.com/GQe8d01rTd
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) February 25, 2022
“In these moments you realize that my match is not important. It’s not about my match, how it affects me. Because what’s happening is much more terrible,” Rublev said the day before. “You realize how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what and to be united…. We should take care of our earth and of each other. This is the most important thing.”
The world’s number one tennis player, Daniil Medvedev of Russia, also called for peace.
“In this moment, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important,” Medvedev said.
“By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world,” he continued. “We play in so many different countries. I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news.”
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].