World Cup
War in Ukraine: Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic do not travel to Russia for World Cup qualification
The football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have issued statements to FIFA and UEFA that they will not travel to Russia for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and are requesting a change of venue.
The football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have issued a joint statement announcing their decision not to travel to Russia for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and calling on FIFA and UEFA to find a neutral venue for them.
The three countries are in the second round of the play-offs alongside Russia, with Poland drawn for the first round in Moscow and Sweden and the Czech Republic playing together in Stockholm. Should Russia qualify, the final of the route will also take place in the “VTB Arena”.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raises significant security concerns, with the three federations saying they will not travel to the Russian capital next month.
The joint announcement
“The football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic strongly condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The Czech Republic expresses its strong position that the qualifying play-offs for the 2022 World Cup, scheduled for March 24 and February 29, 2022, should not take place in Russian territory.
The signatories of this appeal do not intend to travel to Russia and organize football matches there. The military escalation we are witnessing has serious consequences and significantly less security for our national teams and officials.
As such, we expect FIFA and UEFA to respond promptly and present alternative locations for these upcoming play-offs to take place.”
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.