Russia-Ukraine war: FIFA eliminates Spartak Moscow from the Europa League. How does this affect the tournament?

It was confirmed today that FIFA eliminated Spartak Moscow from the Europa League, due to the Russia-Ukraine War. How does this affect the tournament?

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The question is of great importance since the Russian club was the only one participating in FIFA competitions, so the tournament will be affected by this measure.

How does Spartak Moscow's elimination from the Europa League affect the tournament?

The measure will positively affect the Russian club's next opponent, RB Leipzig of the Bundesliga, the team that was to face Spartak next Thursday, March 10, in the first leg of the Europa League. 

However, with this change, RB Leipzig automatically moves from the Round of 16 to the Quarterfinals, thus moving closer to the tournament's semifinals.

But these were not the only sanctions that FIFA and UEFA will apply to Russia and its national teams as well as its clubs. 

What sanctions will FIFA impose on Russia?

According to FIFA's statement issued today, the FIFA Council Bureau and the UEFA Executive Committee adopted further sanctions against Russia, its national teams, and clubs and decided that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, will be suspended from participating in FIFA and UEFA Competitions until further notice. 

These measures, according to the international body, were taken because:

"Football is fully united here and in total solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and quickly so that soccer can once again be a vector of unity and peace among people."

Other governments have joined in the sanctions against Russia

Other governments of other countries have joined the series of sanctions that have been imposed on the Russian government, and among these nations are England, Wales, Denmark, and France.

For example, these governments have announced that they will not play against Russia even on neutral territory, and this has not stopped there. 

The International Olympic Committee decided, through its executive committee, to recommend to international sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in sporting events. 

All this indicates that FIFA is firm in its intention not to let Russia participate in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar "until the situation improves".

And this measure will be put to the test when the draw for the World Cup is held in Doha on April 1, to define the groups that will play the tournament in December and January. 

More news about War Russia-Ukraine:

War Russia-Ukraine: FIFA has already taken a position on the matter, what punishments will it impose on Russia?