MOSCOW, Mar 11 President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Aleksander Ceferin in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra, he announced the «necessity» of sanctions against Russia. Earlier, the International Football Federation (FIFA) and UEFA issued a joint statement according to which Russian teams and clubs were suspended from participation in all international competitions for an indefinite period due to the situation in Ukraine. The Russian Football Union has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"Sanctions are necessary: this is not a political but a humanitarian crisis. I'm sorry to offend Russian athletes, but we must show ourselves as united, said Čeferin. — The break (of the contract with "Gazprom". — Approx. ed.) was correct. Financially, it was expensive (150 million euros until 2024. — Approx. ed.). For us, this is a blow to the wallet. I warned the RFU before announcing the decision, I'm not a coward, I'm not doing anything secretly".
«Politicians do not influence us, but politics is part of life, and we can influence it, because we have the support of many,» Ceferin continued. «I urge governments to invest in infrastructure. Some heads of state are interested in football, others are less interested. Macron and Erdogan are fans, so is Merkel.»