Poland refuse to play 2022 World Cup play-off against Russia

Poland's football federation president announced on Saturday that their national team will not play the 2022 World Cup play-off with Russia in Moscow on March 24 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The conflict entered the third day on Saturday since Russian leader Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion that has killed dozens of people, forced more than 50,000 to flee Ukraine in just 48 hours and sparked fears of a wider conflict in Europe.

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"The time for talking is over. It is time to act. Due to the escalation of the Russian Federation's aggression in Ukraine, the Polish team does not envisage playing the play-off against Russia," wrote Cezary Kulesza, adding it was the "only correct decision".

He said he would work with the Swedish and Czech federations – the winners of their match would have to play in Russia (on March 29) if the latter beat Poland – to present a unified position to Fifa.

The three federations issued a joint statement on Thursday demanding Fifa move the respective play-offs from Russia. Poland captain Robert Lewandowski expressed his support of the decision, the Bayern Munich striker tweeting: "It is the right decision! I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening."

European football's governing body Uefa punished Russia on Friday by stripping St Petersburg of hosting the Champions League final on May 28 and awarded it to Paris.