Russia national team can still participate in the game, but they will face certain restrictions.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been calls to ban the Russians from participating in the World Cup. On Sunday, the head of the French football federation asked FIFA to prevent the Russian Federation from playing in the World Cup playoffs.
Amid growing pressure from several countries, FIFA announced their decision over the situation on Sunday. The sanctions are similar to what International Olympics Committee imposed on Russia during the Tokyo games.
No games must take place within the borders of Russia while the country can only play under the name “Football Union of Russia (RFU)”. In addition, they cannot use the country’s national anthem and flag during the games.
Russians would either face Sweden or the Czech Republic if they beat Poland in their first qualifier. However, all three nations have already announced they will not face Russia.
Unsurprisingly, the sanctions have not been able to satisfy the teams who could face Russia’s national team in the upcoming qualifiers. In case they don’t attend the game, the Russians will automatically win the games and qualify for the World Cup.
Head of the Polish FA, Cezary Kulesza, said: “Today’s FIFA decision is totally unacceptable.
“We are not interested in participating in this game of appearances.
“Our stance remains intact: Polish National Team will NOT PLAY with Russia, no matter what the name of the team is.”
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