Monty's Spin On – Time to ban Russia from the World Cup
By Rory Poulter
1st Mar 2022 | Local Features
It is time to ban Russia from the World Cup this year in Qatar.
The Football Association has made the bold decision that England will not allow teams from any age group to play Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Now it is now for FIFA to step up and take the same tough stance against Russia and Putin, who has been allowed to use sport to push his soft power – and boost his ego.
News over the weekend that FIFA intends to allow Russia to continue competing in the World Cup qualifiers on the basis of using the name 'Football Union of Russia', without flags or anthems, has rightly been condemned.
If FIFA were effectively to side with Putin against the footballing world, who refuse to play Russia, whatever banner they play under, I can only see the World Cup this year being boycotted and abandoned.
The future of FIFA itself is on the line. Its role in allowing Russia to host the World Cup in 2018 and then sanctioning the tournament in Qatar this year were both controversial.
Images of its president, Gianni Infantino, being awarded Russia's Order of Friendship medal by Vladimir Putin are extremely uncomfortable for the FIFA hierarchy.
Putin has enjoyed the ability to 'sports wash' his regime by global sporting bodies for too long. It even continued after massive state-sponsored doping was revealed.
We are long past the time when the Putin regime – and its dirty money - should have been removed from the sporting arena.
Formula 1 has decided it will not hold a Grand Prix in Russia this year and we now need all of the world's sporting bodies to ostracise Russia completely.
That includes UEFA, the International Olympic Committee and the organisers of the Paralympics. A number of nations are advocating for Russian athletes – and those from Belarus - to be thrown out of the Beijing Paralympic, which begins this week in Beijing.
As governments around the world seize the assets – home and yachts - of Putin's henchmen, the Oligarchs who got rich by stealing from the Russian people, sport must take a strong stance too.
Here, that means deciding what happens with Roman Abramovich and Chelsea. Despite his move to transfer 'stewardship' of the club to a Foundation over the weekend, it is clear that Chelsea remains an Abramovich asset.
Boris Johnson needs to take a strong line on Abramovich as part of a wider effort to clean up Russia's interference in British life and sport.
And by pushing for a ban on Russia from all global events, Johnson could create a powerful legacy.
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