The Soviet team did not get booted out of the ‘78 World Cup, they just finished second in their qualifying group to Hungary. For ‘74 they refused to play the second leg of their IC playoff against Chile because Chile was imprisoning and executing communists in the National Stadium, and FIFA refused to move the venue.
FIFA is considering Ukraine's request for their semifinal in Scotland to be postponed. One option could be making June's UNL game between them in Scotland a double-header for UNL and the WC, although it would obviously delay the final against Wales or Austria by 3 months.
I've been tolerant of what promised to be a volatile thread out the gates... but there's a place to discuss the merits and justifications of the actors in the current war in Ukraine, and this isn't it. If you want to argue over the extent to which FIFA should be mindful of political situations, then feel free; but posters wishing to deliberately go off on purely political tangents can either excuse themselves, or they will be escorted out (temp bans).
That's crazy. Would that mean that the draw for the groups would not be done until June? Why June? This situation won't be hunk dory in June, maybe never. Honestly, I think that Ukraine should withdraw and the highest ranked UEFA team takes their place. No Ukrainian has football on their mind right now, actually I don't think anyone in Europe has the actual game of football on their minds. EDIT: Political tangent removed. - Paul Calixte
I know you’re trying to keep the peace but for what it’s worth I believe a number of posts have been deleted which were quite balanced and reasonable.
So my post noting that the USA didn't get banned for doing exactly the same Russia has done in Iraq and Afghanistan got deleted? The point is that this action should be the same for all countries who perpetrate such aggression. A fair rule is for everybody, not only for some.
We are on different sides of the debate but I'm in agreement that this thread has suffered from over zealous moderating.
If you had said the bold part verbatim, that would have been fine; as it was, the post specifically referred to politics rather than tying it back to football. Balanced and reasonable, perhaps, but not football-related. There's a dedicated forum + threads for purely political discussions. I'm not saying you all can't have them; I'm saying that this forum isn't the place.
Cool, let's get this thread back on track people! Hey everybody, I just heard that Russia is definitely kicked out of 2022 WC. Incredible stuff, right? How long will it take for RFU and FIFA to kiss and make up? Maybe after 2 biennial WCs? How about Russia hosting 2030 WC, free-of-charge this time around? Yes, a bit on the nose with the schadenfreude, but life goes on and the show must continue. Hopefully these Europeans will get their act together soon. Qatar needs our money, and heavens know they paid a pretty penny to get it.
Or better yet, what happens if the CAS grants them the preliminary injunction, and the RFU-Poland game has to be played after all?
A: I imagine FIFA will take the RFU back when the war ends, whether that is a matter of days or years is anyone's guess. B: No, I'm sorry, and the that's the whole point - what Russia has done to Ukraine is so beyond what modern civilised societies find acceptable that FIFA could no longer turn the other cheek. Whether Russia will be playing football in 2030 is one thing, but I don't think they'll be hosting any major sporting events for decades. I'm sorry if any moderators take exception to the above but I think with this particular topic it's impossible to discuss it meaningfully without referring to the political "elephant in the room".
Unfortunately on this occasion the topic itself is inextricably linked to current affairs and politics. It's really not possible to have a discussion of any substance on the matter without referring to the political and moral aspect. On this occasion I would like to request that the moderators take a realistic approach and accept that if the football aspect to this topic is to be debated, said discussion will inevitably at times involve a discussion of politics and the rights and wrongs of the matter. Please treat us like adults and I'm sure whatever side of the fence we're on we'll discuss the matter in a civilised and reasonable way. This proposal is not intended to set a precedent for any future threads but is a call for the exceptional political and moral dimension to this particular topic to be acknowledged.
Russia will be probably not the last country in the forseeable future to be suspended from all kind of football activities. My prediction is that Turkey will in a couple of years invade Iraq and Syria. It's not going to be any better once the Russia-Ukraine conflict is over....
Hello. I'll begin by thanking you for the thoughtful way you have engaged this topic so far, including the way you have framed your concerns about the guidelines @Paul Calixte has established for further discussion in this thread. Regarding your basic point, that football, per se, is inseparable from the politics and moral issues entailed by Putin's invasion of Ukraine, I agree. But I'd add that that's always the case. Football/soccer always participates in the full breadth of human socio-political dynamics, even when the scope and gravity of specific events doesn't come close to what is being done to the people of Ukraine now. And that's precisely why I think Paul Calixte's framework for discussion here is a good one. The focus of this forum is the game of football. We occasionally have to place limits on the scope of a given conversation to preserve that focus: people will talk about all things that interest them and that can result in that focus being lost. That tends to be particularly true in cases like this one. As Paul has pointed out, it is still possible for anyone to engage in conversations about the events in Ukraine elsewhere on this site. But in the FIFA and Tournaments forum, the ability to do that is circumscribed in a way that's designed to keep the discussion connected to the FIFA decision. That's not because moderators don't think of the posters as adults. It's a product of experience: once discussion touches on the history of the region, the agendas of the actors, etc., soccer/football quickly disappears.
Absolutely, how dare an European leader shatter our world view, where war is waged only by uncivilized, backwards nations! Keep it outside of Europe where it belongs, right? Shieet, it don't matter that war and refugees were Europe's main exports for the past 10 centuries. I want my blissful ignorance back. Fortunately, Russia won't be at the great 2022 WC party of peace and freedom. Just keep your alcohol and rainbow flags at home as to not offend the local government. They did not pay kickbacks so that we could go over there to show our human nature. Come on fellas, this will be the best WC yet! Where are my tickets to watch minnows get pummeled in the world stage?
https://sport.business-gazeta.ru/article/272897 Asia - a way out for Russia? We will not earn money, but we will get the Champions League and a chance at the World Cup.
It would be Financially beneficial for AFC and Russia would probably be one the most dominant AFC teams. Only real opposition to them joining would probably come from Australia and Japan.
likelihood of it happening will increase significantly if Russia can not compete in next seasons european club competitions and 2024 euro qualifiers.
I believe they need to OK it but I can't see them standing in the way if all parties are happy with the move. What would be the point of stopping it under those circumstances?
It would be hypocritical Fifa didn't allow Russia to move to the AFC. The AFC also has many terrible regimes in it
Russia's ban from UEFA upheld by CAS. Apparently this ruling doesn't include the FIFA ban (i.e. the match v Poland), but would seem to indicate that will also be upheld. UEFA decision made by 1 person; FIFA decision supposedly from a 3-person board. https://www.si.com/soccer/2022/03/15/russia-uefa-ban-upheld-fifa-world-cup-qualifying
Speaking of hypocrisy. I bet Belarus won't have many issues fielding teams in future UEFA competitons.