Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic exclude travel to Russia for the playoffs for the 2022 World Cup
Football associations in Poland, Sweden and that Czech Republic has called FIFA to prevent Russia from hosting World Cup qualifiers next month.
Poland will face Russia in a play-off match in March in Moscow, when the final places at the World Cup in Qatar will be decided later this year.
Sweden has once again drawn the Czech Republic, where the winner is set against the one who comes at the top between Poland and Russia.
However, the three associations have released a statement in response Russia’s invasion of Ukraineconfirms that they will not travel to the country and insists that FIFA and UEFA must now present other alternatives.
The statement said: “Based on the current alarming developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including the security situation, the football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic express their firm position that the play-off matches to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for 24 and 29 March 2022 , should not be played in the territory of the Russian Federation.
“The signatories of this call are not considering traveling to Russia and playing football matches there. The military escalation we are seeing has serious consequences and significantly lower security for our national football teams and official delegations.
“Therefore, we expect FIFA and UEFA to react immediately and present alternative solutions regarding places where these upcoming play-off matches can be played.”