https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/sports/soccer/fifa-russia-ban.

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FIFA Suspends Russia, Ejecting It

From World Cup Qualifying
Feb. 28, 2022

Tariq Panja

World soccer’s global governing body suspended Russia and its teams from all
competitions on Monday, ejecting the country from qualifying for the 2022 World
Cup only weeks before it was to play for one of Europe’s final places in this year’s
tournament in Qatar.

The suspension, which was announced Monday evening in coordination with

European soccer’s governing body, also barred Russian club teams from international
competitions. UEFA had last week stripped St. Petersburg, the home of Gazprom, of
this year’s Champions League final. The game will be played in France instead.

FIFA and UEFA decided to bar Russia only hours after the International Olympic
Committee called for international sports federations to prohibit Russian athletes and
teams from all global sporting events where possible. The Olympic officials said
Russia had breached a commitment — known as the Olympic Truce, and signed
before the start of the Beijing Winter Games and scheduled to run through the
Paralympics that open this week — when it invaded Ukraine.

That match was in doubt before Monday’s decision, with officials unsure how the
Russian team could travel after the European Union issued a blanket ban on Russian
flights into the 27-member bloc.

It remains unclear if the decision to exclude Russia will face a challenge in the courts.