After having evacuated the question for a long time and kicked into touch, Fifa would be on the verge of deciding … and cracking down.
The International Football Federation is indeed in “advanced discussions” to purely suspend the Russian national team from international competitions including the World Cup, in reaction to the Russian invasion in Ukraine, AFP learned on Monday from a source familiar with the discussions.
Fifa is working with the European Confederation (UEFA) to act on Monday this decision, which would exclude Russia from the 2022 World Cup, scheduled from November 21 to December 18, "unless the situation improves", we explain. from the same source.
A decision that corresponds to what many Federations are asking for in retaliation for the Russian attack.
“I lean towards an exclusion of Russia from the next World Cup, declared Noël Le Graët, president of the French Federation, in our columns on Sunday.
This is my first impulse.
Usually, I believe that sport is there to reconcile people and ease tensions.
But this is going much too far.
And the world of sport, and in particular football, cannot remain neutral.
I will certainly not oppose an exclusion of Russia.
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UEFA to exclude Russia from the Women's Euro
The Russians are not yet sportingly qualified for this tournament.
They must win their ticket in a play-off match scheduled for March 24 against Poland.
But the Poles have repeated several times that they would categorically refuse to play it, even on neutral ground as the FIFA office had proposed on Sunday evening.
“We are not interested in participating in this match of appearances.
The Polish national team will NOT PLAY against Russia, regardless of the name of the team”, immediately reacted on Twitter Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish Federation.
Host of the 2018 World Cup, a planetary event, Russia would find itself sportingly isolated by this decision, especially if UEFA were to confirm this suspension on a continental scale, which it was about to do on Monday according to information from the German agency SID, a subsidiary of AFP.
This would result in the exclusion of the Russian women's team from the Euro in July in England, where they must challenge the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland in the group stage.
UEFA's decision would also concern Spartak Moscow, engaged in the round of 16 of the Europa League, against RB Leipzig.
Fifa would thus follow the position of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which on Monday recommended to the International Federations “not to invite” Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams to international sports competitions.
On Sunday, Fifa had already pronounced a first salvo of sanctions, imposing on Russia to evolve under the name of "Russian Football Federation", banishing the Russian flag and anthem from its events and asking Russians to play their matches. at home on neutral ground.
Fifa would have since hardened its tone.