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Should Russia be excluded from sporting competitions such as the World Cup?

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johncrossley

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Should Russia be kicked out of the World Cup? Putin has made great efforts to get the World Cup and Olympics in Russia. Sporting sanctions probably hurt him a lot.
 
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Typhoon

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Should Russia be kicked out of the World Cup? Putin has made great efforts to get the World Cup and Olympics in Russia. Sporting sanctions probably hurt him a lot.
Sporting sanctions are one way in which relatively small or weak nations (say in central America or southern Africa) can make their feelings known. However, before anyone suggests them they have to be absolutely sure that it will be voted through. A vote against sanctions would be a major PR victory for Putin.
 

yorkie

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Should Russia be kicked out of the World Cup? Putin has made great efforts to get the World Cup and Olympics in Russia. Sporting sanctions probably hurt him a lot.
Definitely yes, from all sporting competitions and until further notice.
 

gg1

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In terms of the World Cup, by announcing they will refuse to play Russia in the World Cup qualifcation play off next month, Poland will force UEFA/FIFA's hand(not entirely sure which of them has the power to make the decision as it's a UEFA qualifier for a FIFA competition).

They're now presented with a simple choice of either awarding the tie to Russia and giving them a bye to the final play off match (the usual procedure when one team refuses to fulfill a fixture) or kicking Russia out now. If that match had gone ahead I suspect they would have kicked the can down the road in the hope Russia failed to qualify and avoiding the need to make a ruling themselves.
 

PauloDavesi

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I remember the phrase "No normal sport, in an abnormal society" was much loved by those on the left against South Africa, who as i don't remember ever invading another sovereign nation.

Yes, Russia should be excluded from all international sporting bodies and events until it totally withdraws from Ukraine and Crimea.
 

takno

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In the short term it's an absolute no-brainer to exclude Russian teams.

The slight issue is that if you don't manage to achieve regime-change in a country, then having sporting and cultural links is a good way to avoid the people of the country from becoming isolated and falling in line with their terrible leaders.
 

DanNCL

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I would say yes Russia should be banned from such events. However it would need to set a precedent - if Russia are banned from the World Cup, countries like North Korea need to be banned from it too.
 

gingerheid

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Leaving aside political considerations, there's no feasible practical way of fulfilling the fixtures.
 

Trackman

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I say yes.
Sweden and Poland have said they will not play against Russia in the forthcoming world cup qualifiers next month- We'll see what FIFA does.

But you have to think of the sportsmen/women who have trained for such events who do not want war. There was Russian tennis player yesterday who won a match and wrote on a camera lens 'No war please'.
 

simonw

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I remember the phrase "No normal sport, in an abnormal society" was much loved by those on the left against South Africa, who as i don't remember ever invading another sovereign nation.

Yes, Russia should be excluded from all international sporting bodies and events until it totally withdraws from Ukraine and Crimea.
I think the people of Angola and Mozambique might have a different view of their nations recent history.
 

Typhoon

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It looks like, whatever we say, the authorities are taking a firm(ish) line
Fifa has ordered Russia to complete their upcoming matches without their flag, anthem and as the Football Union of Russia in neutral territory, following the invasion of Ukraine.

Several nations have announced that they will refuse to play Russia, including England, as well as Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden.

World Cup play-offs would see Russia face Poland then either the Czech Republic or Sweden if they win - and are due to be played in March.

Not the whole nine yards but still pretty swift considering. It will be noticeable to Russians at least.

Edit: sorry, missed the source https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60548685
 

43096

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It looks like, whatever we say, the authorities are taking a firm(ish) line


Not the whole nine yards but still pretty swift considering. It will be noticeable to Russians at least.

Edit: sorry, missed the source https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60548685
It won't be that noticeable to Russians - they're used to sporting events not under their flag (see ongoing Olympics drugs fiasco). Chuck them out - they'd really notice it then.
 

takno

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It looks like, whatever we say, the authorities are taking a firm(ish) line


Not the whole nine yards but still pretty swift considering. It will be noticeable to Russians at least.

Edit: sorry, missed the source https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60548685
That's about as far from a firm line as you can possibly take and still claim to be taking a line. Hopefully the fact that no countries are going to be willing to host the matches, and no oppositions are going to be willing to play them will make FIFA see sense and implement a proper bad.
 

Strathclyder

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It looks like, whatever we say, the authorities are taking a firm(ish) line


Not the whole nine yards but still pretty swift considering. It will be noticeable to Russians at least.

Edit: sorry, missed the source https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60548685
Boot them out altogether, then they'd really notice it. The fact that several nations' teams have already publicly stated they'll refuse to play against Russia - hopefully with more to follow - should be the start of a pressure campaign to make FIFA see sense (a fever dream I know given their track record!) and implement a full-on ban. As it stands, this is about as far back from taking a firm line while saying you're taking a line as one can get. Then again, this non-stance is exactly what I'd expect of a organization as corrupt/neck-high in it as FIFA.
 
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Spamcan81

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So FIFA bottle it and plan to let Russia compete under a meaningless flag.
Exclude Russia from all international events, simples.
 

Cowley

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So FIFA bottle it and plan to let Russia compete under a meaningless flag.
Exclude Russia from all international events, simples.

I agree and everyone still needs to refuse to play them until FIFA realised that they’ve spectacularly read the room wrong.
 

Dent

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I agree and everyone still needs to refuse to play them until FIFA realised that they’ve spectacularly read the room wrong.
If a team doesn't turn up to their schedule game, doesn't that mean that the team they were supposed to be playing wins by default? It doesn't sound like much of a protest against a team to let them win without even having to bother to play.
 

Cheshire Scot

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'Fifa has ordered Russia to complete their upcoming matches without their flag, anthem and as the Football Union of Russia in neutral territory, following the invasion of Ukraine.'

If FIFA don't kick them out it does in any case seem unlikely any country would offer a neutral venue although probably academic given their next and potential follow on opponents are refusing to play them, so just kick them out and let Putin feel the backlash from their players and supporters, not that he will care.
 

brad465

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So FIFA bottle it and plan to let Russia compete under a meaningless flag.
Exclude Russia from all international events, simples.
FIFA, like the IOC and the Met Police, stink so much of corruption, that, aside from making Skunks a breath of fresh air in comparison, this half-hearted move doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
 

dosxuk

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If a team doesn't turn up to their schedule game, doesn't that mean that the team they were supposed to be playing wins by default? It doesn't sound like much of a protest against a team to let them win without even having to bother to play.

If you take that line to the logical conclusion, one thing FIFA won't want is an uncontested World Cup final between Russia and another country after every team in their way boycotts the match.

They may not want to get involved, or annoy their Russian backers, but they also won't want their flagship event to be seen as a farce and the subsequent loss of sponsorship / prestige. All they're doing at the moment is a good old bit of can kicking and hoping the problem will sort itself out before it actually causes then an issue.
 

Loppylugs

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The numpties of FIFA have said the Ruskies can play under the name of The Football Union of Russia.

F.U.R. Certainly conjures up a few alternatives does it not ?
 
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Dent

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If you take that line to the logical conclusion, one thing FIFA won't want is an uncontested World Cup final between Russia and another country after every team in their way boycotts the match.
If all the other teams decide that they want to let Russia win, what else can FIFA do? They can't kidnap all the other team's players and force them to play football against Russia if they don't want to.
 

brad465

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Looks like an upgrade in stance from FIFA, by suspending Russia until further notice, which comes alongside the IOC recommending that Russian and Belorussian athletes are banned from participating in any competitions:


Football's governing body Fifa is set to suspend Russia until further notice as the International Olympic Committee recommends that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials are banned from participating in any organised international competitions.

More to follow.
 

dosxuk

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If all the other teams decide that they want to let Russia win, what else can FIFA do? They can't kidnap all the other team's players and force them to play football against Russia if they don't want to.

That's the point - other teams just boycotting matches without regard to their own progression in the world cup will force FIFAs hand. Letting an uncontested Russia win the world cup would make a laughing stock of FIFA themselves.
 

Dent

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That's the point - other teams just boycotting matches without regard to their own progression in the world cup will force FIFAs hand. Letting an uncontested Russia win the world cup would make a laughing stock of FIFA themselves.

Why would teams deciding of the own accord let Russia win make a laughing stick of FIFA? Surely they would only be making a laughing stock of themselves by not bothering to turn up and thus letting Russia win. It is obviously not FIFA's fault that othwer teams have conspired to let Russia should win unopposed.
 

Falcon1200

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It is obviously not FIFA's fault that othwer teams have conspired to let Russia should win unopposed.

Allowing Russia to continue competing in the World Cup during the current crisis most certainly would be FIFA's fault, but I do believe they will eventually be forced, or rather shamed, into doing the right thing.
 

Starmill

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I think that this is one of the things that pressure is really building on, alongside things like asset freezes and bank bans. I note that today even the Swiss have chosen to adopt almost all of the new restrictions on Russian people, businesses and government entities that the EU have put into place, which sort of shows how much pressure there is to align.

Obviously the stance has already shifted but it could go much further.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

Allowing Russia to continue competing in the World Cup during the current crisis most certainly would be FIFA's fault, but I do believe they will eventually be forced, or rather shamed, into doing the right thing.
I agree it seems very unlikely that the Russian team will be permitted now.
 
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