Poland is refusing to play its World Cup qualifier against Russia next month in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Polish football federation president said.
Cezary Kulesza made the announcement on Twitter and indicated Poland was in talks with other federations to present a unified position to FIFA.
“No more words, time to act!” Kulesza wrote, saying the move was prompted by the “escalation of the aggression”.
Watch Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo and football’s biggest superstars in the UEFA Champions League with every match streaming ad free, live and on demand only on Stan Sport. Start your seven day free trial here!
https://twitter.com/lewy_official/status/1497500343726452744?s=20&t=WMHFiYdXSW3LShO2VSY1Xw
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, the nation’s all-time leading scorer, immediately responded to say it was the “right decision”.
“I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian national team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues,” the Bayern Munich star said on Twitter.
“Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”
READ MORE: Embiid, 76ers stars thrilled after dazzling Harden debut
READ MORE: LeBron and Lakers fume over ‘total BS’ review call
READ MORE: Essendon boss hits out at finals drought theory
Previously, Poland had only said it didn’t want to play the qualifying play-off semi-final in Moscow on March 24.
The winner will play Sweden or the Czech Republic for a place at the Qatar World Cup.
Russian troops pressed toward Ukraine’s capital on Saturday, after a night of explosions and street fighting that sent Kyiv residents seeking shelter underground.
It was not immediately clear how far Russian troops had advanced.
Ukrainian officials reported some success in fending off assaults, but fighting persisted near the capital.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!