BERLIN, Oct. 29 (dpa/EP) –
The president of the Ukrainian Football Federation, Andriy Pavelko, has called for the exclusion of Russia from FIFA and UEFA, in addition to also requesting that Iran be expelled from the governing body of world football and, therefore, cannot play the next Qatar World Cup.
Russian teams have been banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions over the Ukraine invasion, but their football federation remains a member of both organisations.
Pavelko confirmed to German broadcaster ARD that he had sent a request to both bodies to expel Russia, after Russia reportedly began integrating clubs from occupied territories that it now considers part of Russia into its national football system.
The president of the Ukrainian federation assured that this is a clear violation of the rules and that it would be “an important decision” by FIFA and UEFA to suspend Russia’s membership.
According to some sources, Iran is delivering drones to Russia with which it attacks Ukraine, which Iran denies. This is one of the reasons why Iran’s team has been called for expulsion from the World Cup, as well as the crackdown on protests in the country. In addition, Ukraine calls for Iranian clubs to be sanctioned as well.
“We always say that the exclusion of the teams is an important decision for the whole world because the players and the teams represent a country that is a terrorist organization that kills people, that is a threat to the whole world. The national team is a direct reflection of the country. Therefore, both in Russia and in Iran, it is not possible to separate the clubs from the national team,” he said.