Football fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Explaining what might be next for FIFA & UEFA after reports of Russia's ban

Sean Markus Clifford

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Football fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Explaining what might be next for FIFA & UEFA after reports of Russia's ban image

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused reverberations all across not just Europe but the entire globe.

The global soccer community has risen up in protest of the hostilities, and a number of actions have been taken to both support the nation of Ukraine and condemn the wartime actions of Russia.

Most notably, FIFA will reportedly suspend the Russian federation from upcoming competitions, almost surely eliminating the nation from contention at the 2022 World Cup. Those aren't nearly the only actions taken by the football community, however, as UEFA announced the movement of the 2022 Champions League final, while national federations and individual players have called for support for Ukraine.

Here's a recap of the actions taken so far with potential new issues to be tackled by the football authorities.

Russia suspended by FIFA

FIFA announced on the afternoon of February 28 in a joint statement with UEFA that all Russian national teams and clubs would be suspended from all competition "until further notice."

The news was anticipated by reports from Sky Sports and Reuters earlier that morning that FIFA was in "advanced talks" to suspend the Russian federation from any and all activity in FIFA-sanctioned events "until further notice."

The immediate affects are threefold. First, the Russian men's national team is effectively barred from 2022 World Cup qualifying, where they were set to take on Poland in the semifinal of the qualification playoff round, with a game against Sweden or Czech Republic potentially to follow. Second, the Russian women's national team is barred from competition in this summer's Women's Euro 2022. Third, Spartak Moscow is eliminated from the Europa League by default, where the club was scheduled to take on RB Leipzig in the Round of 16.

Earlier in the day, the International Olympic Committee issued a recommendation that organizations across the world suspend both Russia and Belarus from sporting competitions, which likely contributed to the decision.

Previously, FIFA had released "sanctions" on the Russian federation, announcing that the nation would be allowed to compete, but that no representation of the Russian flag or national anthem could be part of the competition, and they could not be referred to as "Russia" but instead would be called the "Football Union of Russia" or RFU.

These sanctions were unilaterally criticized by fans and media upon release as too lenient, with fans calling for Russia to be banned from competition.

Russia invasion of Ukraine forces UEFA action

One of the first tangible actions taken against the Russian federation was the movement of the 2022 Champions League final, which UEFA announced would be stripped from Saint Petersburg, Russia and held instead in Saint-Denis, just north of Paris, France.

The Russian Football Union president disagreed with the move and a Kremlin spokesperson spokesperson called it "a shame that such a decision has been made," but UEFA have taken additional steps. The executive committee will also force the lone Russian club still involved in European club competition to find a neutral venue for its matches.

Spartak Moscow is the last Russian or Ukrainian club still involved in a European club tournament — in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League — and it was drawn to play Germany's RB Leipzig. But Spartak will have to play the March 17 home leg of that series at a neutral venue after the UEFA executive committee ruling.

The decision was all-encompassing of all Russian and Ukrainian clubs still involved in European competition, but in practice it only applies to Spartak which "will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice," per the statement released by UEFA.

Teams boycotting Russia in competitions

Across the globe, national federations have released statements announcing they will refuse to take the field against Russia should the country be allowed to compete.

The move was started by Poland, Sweden, and Czech Republic who released a joint statement saying they will not play against Russia in the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. That was followed up by England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and more could be on the horizon.

On February 28, the United States joined the boycott, announcing the nation would not participate in any matches against Russian teams at any level or situation.

Russia & Ukraine World Cup qualifiers and Nations League

The UEFA decision to ask club teams involved in international competition to find a neutral venue also extends to "national teams competing in UEFA competitions." 

The UEFA Nations League is such a competition with matches to be held in June 2022. Ukraine is scheduled to play four matches, including two home games against Armenia (June 11) and the Republic of Ireland (June 14). Russia's foursome of matches during that window includes home matches games against Iceland (June 10) and Albania (June 13).

But the national teams of both countries will also be involved in March's European playoffs for the remaining tickets to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Those are technically a FIFA competition and FIFA has indicated that "updates in relation to the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers will be communicated in due course."

If they want to advance to the 2022 World Cup, both Russia and Ukraine have to win two matches scheduled for late March. Should they lose any one of them, they will be eliminated from contention from Qatar 2022.

Ukraine was already scheduled to play both those matches on the road — a win in Scotland (March 24) would see it face Wales or Austria on the road (March 29) for a World Cup berth. Russia was scheduled to host both of its matches: against Poland (March 24) and in case of a win, a potential second match against the Czech Republic or Sweden (March 29).

It still remains to be seen whether Ukraine will even be position to field teams for these matches.

All three of Russia's potential World Cup qualifying opponents — Poland, Sweden, and Czech Republic — released a joint statement before FIFA's suspension of Russia saying they won't participate in World Cup qualifying matches against Russia. Poland star Robert Lewandowski chimed in personally, making his nation's stance clear:

Latest on Russia Premier League, Ukraine Premier League

Unsurprisingly, the conflict has had a very significant impact on football throughout the areas of Ukraine and Russia.

The Ukrainian Premier League, which was set to resume on Feb. 25 after a winter break has been suspended until further notice, as the country is in a state of martial law owing to recent developments.

But the suspension does not only apply to the Ukrainian top flight. Ukraine's football federation has made the decision to "suspended all football competitions at the national, regional, district and city levels in all age categories throughout Ukraine until a separate decision is made on this issue."

Meanwhile, the Russian Premier League has announced previously that it was continuing as scheduled, with the official league site confirming the slate of weekend matches on Feb. 26-28. That list includes two postponements though no official reasons were given for the changes. Some have indicated it could have to do with the closure of the local airports in those cities.

The Russian league is also returning from a winter break.

However, with the decision by UEFA and FIFA to suspend all Russian clubs from sanctioned competitions, the status of the Russian Premier League and its recognition by the governing bodies is up in the air. It's possible that the results of the Russian Premier League season could be invalidated, and the club's positions in next year's Champions League and other European competitions could be in jeopardy.

Ukraine wants ban of Russia and Russian club teams

Ukraine's football authorities want to see more action from the governing bodies against Russia and Russian clubs.

The Ukrainian federation released a recent communication detailing some imminent measures they would like to see put into place. 

The UAF Executive Committee has advocated for the Russian national team and its club sides to be banned from taking part in any footballing competition under the banner of FIFA or UEFA.

Given the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the UAF Executive Committee decided:

- to send to FIFA and UEFA appropriate appeals prohibiting the participation of national teams and clubs of Russia to participate in any international competitions under the auspices of FIFA and UEFA;

- send an appeal to UEFA regarding the decision as soon as possible to change the city and country of the UEFA Champions League final of the 2021/2022 season and the UEFA Super Cup-2023.

Russian sponsors facing backlash

Two Russian companies in particular have come under the microscope: Russian energy corporation Gazprom and Russian airline Aeroflot.

In addition to seeing German club Schalke remove Gazprom's jersey front branding in response to Russia's invasion, UEFA is also facing pressure to nix their sponsorship deal with the company, including from European Parliament members.

Gazprom owns partnership rights for the upcoming UEFA Nations League 2023 and UEFA Euro 2024 tournaments, as well as being a prominent sponsor of the UEFA Champions League since 2012.

Meanwhile, the UK government has moved to ban Aeroflot from operating in its territories, and Manchester United proceeded to terminate its estimated $53 million sponsorship deal with the company:

"In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot's sponsorship rights," read a statement from United. "We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected."

Russia-Ukraine conflict's impact on players & owners

With the transfer window not opening again until the summer, it's too early to tell if we could see potential restrictions placed by either Russian or Ukrainian leagues regarding players their clubs are permitted to sign.

Back in 2015, former Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko banned domestic clubs in Russia from signing Turkish players due to strained relations between the two countries at the time.

The more immediate impact could be faced by Russian billionaires who have ownership stakes in foreign clubs and who could face the brunt of sanctions imposed by governments seeking to apply pressure on Russia by cracking down on backers of the Putin regime.

The spotlight is shining brightly on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who is the subject of speculation about how he might be affected by potential UK government decisions to put the squeeze on oligarchs who have sway with Russian political leaders.

Abramovich attempted to calm the noise by releasing a statement announcing he is handing over "care" of Chelsea's daily activities to the club's charitable foundation. However, that has only raised more questions than answers, and there remains an air of uncertainty over the Premier League giants.

Members of the UK Parliament have called for Abramovich's assets to be seized in light of his high-profile affiliation with the Russian state and Putin.

Will 2023 UEFA Super Cup be moved next?

UEFA might be faced with another major decision in short order should the conflict not be resolved.

The 2023 UEFA Super Cup is scheduled to be held in Kazan, Russia, and another venue switch could be on the cards similar to what occurred with the Champions League.

The Super Cup pits the Champions League winner against the Europa League winner and is typically held in August as the first piece of continental silverware up for grabs every season.

The Ukrainian federation appealed to UEFA to consider revoking the Super Cup hosting rights in an official communication released on Feb. 24.

Sean Markus Clifford