Poland FA and players refuse to play World Cup match with Russia

WARSAW (Reuters): Poland will not play its soccer World Cup qualifier against Russia next month following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the president of Poland’s Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, and players including captain Robert Lewandowski said on Saturday.
Kulesza said the association was in talks with its Swedish and Czech counterparts regarding playoff matches set for March to fill a slot for the World Cup.
“In light of the escalation of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, the Polish national team is not going to play a match against Russian Republic,” Kulesza said on Twitter.
“This is the only right decision. We are in talks with Swedish and Czech association to present a common position to FIFA.”
Russia is scheduled to host Poland in the semi-finals of its strand of the World Cup playoffs on March 24 and, if its team advances, is scheduled to host either Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29 in the Path B final. Polish national team players also took to social media to express their support for the move.
“It is not an easy decision, but there are more important things in life than football,” Kamil Glik, Mateusz Klich, Matty Cash and others wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation and our friend from the national team, Tomasz Kedziora, who is still in Kiev with his family.”
National team captain Lewandowski wrote on Twitter: “I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues.” “Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”
Poland and Serie A side Juventus’ goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, whose wife was born in Ukraine, didn’t mince his words on Instagram. “I refuse to play against players who choose to represent the values and principles of Russia,” he said. “I refuse to take part in a sporting event that legitimates the actions of the Russian government.”
Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic on Thursday released a joint statement, saying Russia should not be allowed to host World Cup qualifiers next month. read more Poland, however, is the first to refuse to play Russia at all, risking effectively withdrawing from the World Cup which may be the last for Lewandowski and many other Polish players.
Swedish Football Association Chairman Karl-Erik Nilsson told Reuters on Thursday that playing a World Cup playoff match in Russia was “almost unthinkable”. “As it looks here and now, today, there is absolutely no desire to play a football match in Russia,” he said.