FIFA announced on February 24 that it will monitor the situation and report updates regarding the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar on March 31, following the Russian military operations in Ukraine.
In a press conference posted on the FIFA website on Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that he was “concerned” about the “tragic and worrying” situation, noting that decisions will be made regarding the next play-off match scheduled on Russian territories.
“FIFA condemns the use of force by Russia in Ukraine and any type of violence to resolve conflicts, and it is never a solution,” the FIFA president said, calling on all parties to restore peace through constructive dialogue while expressing solidarity to the people affected by this conflict.
“Regarding football matters in both Ukraine and Russia, FIFA will continue to monitor the situation, and updates linked to the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers will be communicated in due course,” he added, according to FIFA’s media release.
Russia is slated to host one or two World Cup 2022 qualifiers, scheduled for March 24 and 29.
The federation of Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic was originally scheduled to travel to Russia for the World Cup qualifiers, but are now unable to travel because of the ongoing crisis.
The Football associations of the three countries have published a joint press release urging its national teams to avoid “playing on Russian territory,” demonstrating their determination and compelling FIFA to take action.
“Based on the current alarming development in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the play-offs matches to qualify for the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup scheduled for March, should not be played in the Russian territory federation,” said the press release.
“The military escalation that we are observing entails serious consequences and considerably lower safety for our national football teams and official delegations,” added the same source.
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