Good Sports, Bad Spirits

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) today announced that they are suspending all Russian soccer clubs and national teams from playing in their competitions. FIFA is the world organization overseeing soccer (football), while the UEFA regulates soccer in Europe. This signifies a major blow to Russia's image for a hugely popular sport like soccer to eliminate them from playing as a punishment for Putin's brutal and unlawful invasion of neighboring Ukraine. FIFA and  UEFA issued a joint statement, reading in part:

"FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice.  [snip] 

Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people."

Initially, the Associations were going to allow Russia to compete in neutral venues, but objections from multiple nations (England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden) forced the Associations to take a stronger stand. Football clubs around the UK and Europe have been showing solidarity with Ukraine, displaying banners "We Stand With Ukraine," and with players wearing the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Meanwhile, as far as boycotts, liquor distributors, bars, etc., need to be careful about assuming that Russian-named vodkas (Stoli, Smirnoff, etc.) are Russian-made. Stoli is made in ally Latvia by a company headquartered in ally Luxembourg, while Smirnoff has long been owned by British booze giant Diageo. The brands Russian Standard and Green Mark are, however, manufactured in Russia and should be off the shelves of all liquor stores in the U.S. (conceding that the Russians have already been paid for the merchandise and that some red state stores may want to show solidarity with the fascist Putin's invaders by stocking them anyway).

 

BONUS: Here's a summary of other actions being pursued in the sports world to punish Russia.  Also the world Taekwondo association has taken away thug Putin's honorary black belt.