Czech Republic refuses to play Russia in World Cup qualifiers

The Czech Republic will not play Russia in the World Cup qualifiers, the country’s football governing body announced on Sunday.

A statement by the Czech Football Association said its “executive committee, staff members and players of the national team agreed it's not possible to play against the Russian national team in the current situation, not even on a neutral venue.”

“We all want the war to end as soon as possible,” it added.

Earlier this week, football associations of the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden said they were not willing to travel to Russia for matches scheduled for March 24 and March 29, as the military escalation between Moscow and Kyiv “entails serious consequences and considerably lower safety for our national football teams and official delegations.”

World football governing body FIFA responded by saying it will “continue to monitor the situation” and give updates “in due course.”

“FIFA condemns the use of force by Russia in Ukraine and any type of violence to resolve conflicts. Violence is never a solution and FIFA calls on all parties to restore peace through constructive dialogue,” read the statement issued this past Thursday.

Russia has also been stripped of the Champions League final in St. Petersburg, with Europe’s top football body UEFA moving the May 28 fixture to Paris.