Europe’s soccer governing body, UEFA, imposed additional restrictive measures on Russian teams on May 2 by chucking the war-mongering nation from the next Champions League, the continent’s most prestigious club tournament.
The Swiss-based body also kicked Russia out of the Women’s European Championship and qualifying for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
This decision was pursuant to a previous one UEFA made on Feb. 28 to “suspend all Russian representative teams and clubs from participating” in the soccer governing body’s competition matches “until further notice.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a renewed invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what is the European continent’s biggest war since World War II. Whole cities and towns have been razed to the ground and a quarter of Ukraine’s population has been displaced with thousands of people being killed. Evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia are also mounting and being documented.
According to the UEFA sanctions, Russia was also forbidden to bid for hosting the 2028 European soccer championship or the 2032 continental championship.
The executive committee of the soccer governing body said it “will remain on standby to convene further meetings to reassess the legal and factual situation as it evolves and adopt further decisions as necessary.”
AP reported that UEFA’s decisions were made as “countries across Europe refused to play games against Russia.”
In addition to not participating in the next Champions League, Russia won’t have representation in next season’s Europa League and Europa Conference League.
