After the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is now engulfing the football field. It was to host the final of the biggest club tournament, the Champions League, in St Petersburg on 28 May. Apart from this, matches of FIFA World Cup Qualifier are to be played in March. He has to play against Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic. All three countries have refused to play in Russia because of the attack on Ukraine. At the same time, the final of the Champions League is likely to be held in London, the capital of England, instead of St Petersburg.
Russia is scheduled to host Poland in the playoff semi-finals of the World Cup on March 24. If he wins the match, he will have to play the winner of the match between Sweden and the Czech Republic on 29 March. Russia also has to host that match. The Football Association of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic issued a joint statement.
The three federations said, “The football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have made their position clear regarding the playoff match. We will not play on the territory of the Russian Federation at any cost. The military operation is having dire consequences.” It is important for us to protect our national football teams and officials. We are waiting for the decisions of FIFA and UEFA.”
Several clubs opposed Russia in the Europa League matches held on Thursday (24 February). This will be seen during the match between Spain’s big team Barcelona and Italy’s team Napoli. Before the start of the match, the players of both the teams stood together with a banner. It was written on it – No War. Barcelona won the match 4-2. With the first leg and second leg combined, they reached the pre-quarterfinals with an aggregate score of 5–3.
Another match was played between Olympios and Italian club Atalanta at the Karaisaki Stadium in Greece. In this, Atlanta won 3–0. With the first leg and second leg combined, they reached the pre-quarterfinals with an aggregate score of 5–1. Ukraine’s Ruslan Malinovsky scored for Atlanta in the second leg. After scoring the goal, he raised the jersey upwards. On a white vest below it was written – there should be no war in Ukraine.