FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia and Russian Clubs from all the competitions

The suspension came after Russia invaded Ukraine

FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football until further notice after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The men’s team had been due to play in qualifying playoffs in March for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, while its women’s side had qualified for the European Championship in England, to be held in July.

Russia was due to play Poland in a World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal on March 24, and could have gone on to face Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29 for a place at the finals.

But their three potential opponents insisted they would boycott the matches.

“FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice,” football’s global and European governing bodies said.

“The decision was adopted by the Bureau of the FIFA council and the Executive Committee of UEFA, respectively the highest decision-making bodies of both the institutions on such matters,” they added.

FIFA first announced that Russian teams would be allowed to continue playing under the name of the Football Union of Russia, playing home games on neutral territory and behind closed doors, and with the Russian flag and anthem banned.

But those measures were dismissed as “totally unacceptable” by Polish FA President Cezary Kulesza, who added that Poland would not play their World Cup playoff with Russia, “no matter what the name of the team is.”

Later, FIFA changed its approach by kicking Russia out of the sport’s showpiece tournament.