UEFA will discuss what action to take in a meeting on Friday
Russia could be kicked out of the Women’s European Championship, which is set to be staged in England this summer, after a full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched by Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
UEFA are set to discuss the issue during an emergency meeting on Friday where they are also set to confirm that Russia will be stripped of this year’s Champions League final, which was due to be held in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the meeting will explore different options before deciding what to do for Russia. One idea has included allowing the players to compete under a neutral name – the same way their athletes do at the Olympics.
A statement from UEFA said: “Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA President has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for Friday 25 February at 10:00 CET, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions.”
The European football governing body followed up with another statement which read: “As the governing body of European football, UEFA is working tirelessly to develop and promote football according to common European values such as peace and respect for human rights, in the spirit of the Olympic Charter.
“We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people.
“We are dealing with this situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency. Decisions will be taken by the UEFA Executive Committee and announced tomorrow.”
Russia have been drawn in a group alongside Holland, Sweden and Switzerland, with their first group game scheduled to take place on July 9 at Leigh Sports Village.
Related links:
- What Brits can do for Ukraine – a resource list
- Schalke to remove Gazprom sponsorship from club shirts
- Champions League final moved from Russia following Ukraine invasion
