Google News Big problems: Sweden and Poland don't want to play with Russia!
by | VIEW 267
During the qualifications, they led the race for a long time and was one step far for qualifying for the World Cup, then lost the final match at Poljud to Croatia and moved to the playoffs, and now the big question is whether the Russian national team will play - and where - playoff matches worth going to Qatar.
According to the original schedule, Russia was supposed to host two matches. First, the selection of Poland in Moscow on March 24, and if they win , five days later they would play against better from the duel Sweden - Czech Republic.
And then the war with Ukraine broke out, which is why the leaders of the three remaining national alliances agreed to boycott the Russians and not to play matches with Valeri Karpin's team at any cost. "Play off matches for the World Cup in Qatar should not be played on the territory of Russia.
The signatories of the request do not question the way to play matches, but the escalation of military conflicts produces serious consequences and significantly reduces the security of our official delegations." "That is why we expect an urgent response from FIFA and UEFA, in order to find an alternative solution, "reads a joint statement signed by the presidents of the Polish Football Federation, the Czech Republic, and the Swedish Football Federation.
Reactions from the world
Poland's best player, Robert Lewandowski, reacted in the same way. "This decision is correct." "I cannot dare to play against the Russian national team at a time when the aggression against Ukraine continues.
Neither Russian players nor their fans are responsible for this, however, we cannot pretend that nothing is happening," the Bayern ace added. There are also those who are in favor of more drastic measures. A former member of the Polish national team, Zbigniew Boniek, now in the role of UEFA vice-president, is in favor of expelling Russian clubs from European competitions.
"It is my personal opinion that they should be eliminated. Achieving consensus with UEFA is a complicated, time-consuming process. "I believe that this is just the beginning of sanctions against Russia," Boniek concluded. By its act, Russia has created a problem not only for sports federations but for the overall situation in the country.
The question is whether these problems will be resolved because Russia seems to be serious in its intentions, and these actions can only worsen its status in the world (which is what is happening), but because of this, Russian citizens may have unnecessary problems.