Russia-Ukraine war: How could FIFA & UEFA suspension impact Qatar World Cup 2022?

The sporting world has seen many major changes to international fixtures, including the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade their sovereign neighbours, Ukraine. As the Russia-Ukraine war entered its fifth day on Monday, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) were among some of the top sports governing bodies of the world to announce several measures against Russia. In a joint statement on Monday, FIFA, and UEFA suspended the Russian national football team and clubs from participating in all competitions, including the coveted World Cup.

A look at how the suspension of Russia can impact the Qatar World Cup 2022

Poland was scheduled to face the Russian men’s team in the playoff semifinal of the World Cup qualifiers later this month and Polish ream refused to play the fixture for solidarity with the war-hit Ukraine. Meanwhile, the winner of the match between Russia and Poland would have faced the Czech Republic or Sweden in the playoff final. Now that all three teams have refused to play the qualifiers in Russia, the country could be given a bye for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar. However, with the tournament scheduled to begin in December, Russia advancing to the next round will only be possible if the situation improves in the future.

UEFA was one of the top federations to take strong measures against Russia, as it shifted the Champions Trophy 2021-22 final from St. Petersburg to Paris. The high level of sanctions and punishment involving sports towards Russia has been not seen for decades. In the joint statement on Monday, FIFA and UEFA said, "Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine". The current measures against Russia are being taken after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged sports governing bodies around the world to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from all international events. As per AP, shedding light on their decision, IOC said it looks to “protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.”

Image: AP