FIFA Imposes Sanctions on Russia Following Invasion of Ukraine
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent shockwaves throughout the world. In an attempt to restrain Russia, economic, legal, and even sporting sanctions have been imposed. Global sporting bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee (‘IOC’) have recommended that International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions. The International Federation of Association Football (‘FIFA’) and the Union of European Football Associations (‘UEFA’) have also declared 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.
The consequences of these sanctions are already being felt by athletes. Following the declaration that Russian teams can no longer play international football due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, FIFA announced that foreign players and coaches contracted by Russian teams can suspend their contracts and play for other European clubs. This move allows players and coaches to unilaterally vary their employment contracts and sign with other European clubs. Whilst this decision by FIFA makes some effort to respond to the complex global crisis, it does not go far enough to ensure the safety of foreign athletes in Russia, and is not consistent with the harsh punitive measures imposed by both sporting bodies and international governments alike. This is because on June 30 2022, this moratorium on employment contracts ends and will require participants to return to Russia to see out the remainder of their contract. FIFPro, the Football Players Union, has criticised the temporary measure stating that “it is unsatisfactory even for players who are tied to short-term contracts in Russia — where contracts typically end in December — and who may not want or be able to return after 30 June 2022.”
In response to FIFA’s decision to suspend national and club teams from their competitions, the Russian Football Union (‘RFU’) has commenced a legal challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (‘CAS’). In its statement, the RFU has said that “as part of a single lawsuit against two organisations, the RFU will demand to restore of all men's and women's national teams of Russia in all types of football in the tournaments in which they took part (including in the qualifying round of the World Cup in Qatar), as well as to compensate for the damage if its availability is established,”.
On the other hand, FIFA is set to argue that its supremacy as World Cup organiser, and the need to have a smooth-running tournament and ensure the safety and security of its participants is sufficient cause to support the suspension. A decision is set to be made before March 24th, the date when Russia was originally meant to host Poland in a World Cup qualification playoff.
The decision is set to be one of the most highly anticipated in the history of the CAS.
If you are interested in learning more about FIFA’s response following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, please see here:
https://www.lawinsport.com/news/item/fifa-adopts-temporary-employment-and-registration-rules-to-address-several-issues-in-relation-to-war-in-ukraine.