Poland refuses to play 2022 World Cup play-off against Russia
NEWS DIGEST – Poland will not play their 2022 World Cup play-off with Russia in Moscow on March 24 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine the president of the Polish football federation said on Saturday.
“It is time to act. Due to the escalation of the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine, the Polish team does not envisage playing the play-off against Russia,” wrote Cezary Kulesz, adding it was the “only correct decision”.
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He said he would work with the Swedish and Czech federations — the winners of their match would have to play in Russia if the latter beat Poland — to present a unified position to Fifa.
On Saturday morning, Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza tweeted: ‘No more words, time to act!
‘Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine, the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against the Russian national team.
‘This is the only right decision. We are in talks with the Sweden and Czech Republic federations to bring forward a common position to FIFA.’
Poland’s decision to refuse to play against Russia irrespective of the location of the match has been led by the players themselves, with captain Robert Lewandowski consulting the whole squad.
AFP
