Brazilian footballers stuck in Ukraine have appealed to their government for help leaving the country. Júnior Moraes shared a video alongside Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv players.
13 Likes
Manchester United have ended their sponsorship deal with Russia’s national airline Aeroflot.
In a statement, United said they had “withdrawn the sponsorship rights” of Aeroflot, who have been the club’s official carrier since 2013.
8 Likes
Oleksandr Zinchenko was part of a vigil held in Manchester’s city centre, protesting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
10 Likes
Paris will stage the 2022 Champions League final, rather than originally planned hosts Saint Petersburg, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
10 Likes
Barcelona and Napoli players displayed a banner that read ‘STOP WAR’ before their Europa League match.
20 Likes
Poland refuses to play Russia in World Cup qualification playoff match
The Polish national team will not face Russia in a crucial 2022 World Cup qualification playoff match in March because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The president of Poland’s football association Cezary Kulesza announced the news on Saturday.
"No more words, time to act! Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia," he tweeted.
“We are in talks with (Swedish) and (Czech) federations to bring forward a joint statement to FIFA.”
Poland was due to travel to Moscow to face Russia on Thursday, March 24, while Ukraine was scheduled to travel to face Scotland on the same day.
The winner of the Poland-Russia game would host either Sweden or Czech Republic on March 29 in the final of their World Cup qualification route.
16 Likes
Bayern Munich superstar and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski echoed Kulesza’s sentiment, saying: "It is the right decision!
"I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues," Lewandowski tweeted. "Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening."
18 Likes
Two top-10 Russian tennis stars, world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, have addressed their country’s invasion of Ukraine this week.
Speaking on Thursday, Medvedev, who won the US Open last year, addressed the situation in his home country after winning his match in Mexico, saying he is "all for peace."
“In this moment, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important,” he said.
He continued, "By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries. I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news."
On Friday, Andrey Rublev also advocated for peace, writing “No war please” on the camera after his win. Writing on the lens is a common practice after tennis matches.
The day before, on Thursday, the No. 7 player in the world explained his stance in an interview after his match.
"In these moments you realize that my match is not important. It’s not about my match, how it affects me. Because what’s happening is much more terrible," Rublev said. "You realize how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what and to be united… We should take care of our earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."
17 Likes
The UK government have cancelled the visas of the Belarusian Men’s Basketball Team who were due to play in Newcastle tomorrow night.
“The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
17 Likes
Australia’s divers and skiers in Russian boycott
Australia’s divers and skiers have pulled out of competitions in Russia, drawing praise from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who called on all athletes to follow suit. “I commend those Australians that are saying they won’t participate in anything that is occurring in Russia this year,” he said. “This is how you impose a cost on Russia that is invading its neighbor.”
16 Likes
16 Likes
18 Likes
Thomas Tuchel has said he understands criticism directed towards Chelsea in response to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
After Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine on Tuesday, Labour MP Chris Bryant told the House of Commons Chelsea owner and Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich should have his assets seized, questioned whether he should be allowed to operate a football club himself, and quoted a leaked government document suggesting he should not be allowed to be based in the UK.
16 Likes
After scoring against Brighton, Aston Villa’s Matty Cash unveiled a message in support of Poland team-mate Tomasz Kedziora, who is currently in Ukraine.
He was booked for taking his shirt off.
12 Likes
Sweden’s football federation joins Poland in refusing to play against Russia if they are required to meet them in 2022 World Cup playoffs
16 Likes
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has given trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation the ‘stewardship and care’ of the club.
16 Likes
