The Bureau of the FIFA Council have released their first measures against Russia in response to the violence and conflict in Ukraine.
The global organisation has released three immediate measures that Russia must follow in order to compete in their upcoming international matches.
In the statement released, FIFA announced that Russia cannot play any matches in Russian stadiums – and any home matches must be played on neutral grounds.
They also stated that the football team must play under the name “Football Union of Russia” (RFU).
Finally, no Russian flags or anthems can be used or displayed in the matches that the RFU play.
The official list is as follows:
• “No international competition shall be played on the territory of Russia, with “home” matches being played on neutral territory and without spectators
• “The member association representing Russia shall participate in any competition under the name “Football Union of Russia (RFU)” and not “Russia”.
• “No flag or anthem of Russia will be used in matches where teams from the Football Union of Russia participate.”
In the rest of the statement, FIFA said:
“First and foremost, FIFA would like to reiterate its condemnation of the use of force by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Violence is never a solution and FIFA expresses its deepest solidarity to all people affected by what is happening in Ukraine.
“FIFA calls again for the urgent restoration of peace and for constructive dialogue to commence immediately. FIFA remains in close contact with the Ukrainian Association of Football and members of the Ukrainian football community who have been requesting support to leave the country for as long as the current conflict persists.
“FIFA will continue its ongoing dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sport organisations to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including a potential exclusion from competitions, that shall be applied in the near future should the situation not be improving rapidly. The Bureau of the FIFA Council remains on standby to take any of these decisions. “Importantly, FIFA strongly believes that the sport movement should be united in its decisions on this topic and that sport should continue being a vector of peace and hope.
“With regard to the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, FIFA has taken good note of the positions expressed via social media by the Polish Football Association, the Football Association of the Czech Republic and the Swedish Football Association and has already engaged in dialogue with all of these football associations. FIFA will remain in close contact to seek to find appropriate and acceptable solutions together.
Many nations including England, Wales, Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic have refused to play Russia in any form of competition.
Swedish FA president Karl-Erik Nilsson said: “Our opinion is not different today and the situation has not changed in Ukraine just because we have received the message from Fifa, so we have no other opinion today.
“We also want to talk to Poland and the Czech Republic so that we can give back to Fifa what we think, but we had expected a sharper stance from Fifa. We would have done so.”
The Welsh FA also condemned Russia’s actions, stating they “stand in solidarity with Ukraine and feels an extreme amount of sadness and shock to the recent developments in the country”.
They added Wales will not “play any international fixtures against Russia for the foreseeable future, at any level of the game”.
