MOSCOW, 27 Feb. The International Football Federation (FIFA) stated on its official website that it will continue dialogue with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to determine additional sanctions against the Russian team, including the possible removal of the team from the competition, due to the situation in Ukraine.» FIFA will continue to dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sports organizations to determine any additional measures or sanctions, including possible suspension from competitions, to be applied in the near future if the situation does not improve quickly. FIFA Council Bureau remains in a state of readiness to take any of these decisions,» a statement on FIFA's official website reads. «It is important to note that FIFA strongly believes that the sports movement must be united in its decisions on this topic and that sport must remain a vector of peace and hope,” the organization notes. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, with a request to recognize their sovereignty, signed the relevant decrees, and on February 24 announced the start of a special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.
