Poland will refuse to fulfil their scheduled World Cup playoff against Russia next month in protest against the invasion of Ukraine, the president of Poland’s Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, said on Saturday. The decision was immediately backed by the team’s players, including their star forward Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich.
Sweden, a potential future opponent of Russia in the playoffs, later said they would also refuse to play them “regardless of where the match is played”.
Russia were due to host Poland in “Path B” of the European qualifying playoff semi-finals on 24 March, with the winners progressing to face either Sweden or Czech Republic for a place at the World Cup in Qatar later this year. Kulesza said the Polish association was in discussions with its Swedish and Czech counterparts regarding the matches.
“No more words, time to act!” Kulesza wrote on Twitter. “Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia. This is the only right decision. We are in talks with Swedish and Czech association to bring forward a joint statement to Fifa.”
The Polish president, Andrzej Duda, replied directly to Kulesza’s Twitter announcement, writing: “And rightly so, Mr. President. You don’t play with bandits!” Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, added: “You cannot play a match against Russia under such circumstances … Thank you so much for this decision.”
Lewandowski also quickly endorsed Kulesza’s words, writing on Twitter: “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.”
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. https://t.co/rfnfbXzdjF
— Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official) February 26, 2022
The former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, now with Juventus, also voiced strong support for the decision, writing on Instagram: “The moment [Vladimir] Putin decided to invade Ukraine he declared war not only on Ukraine but also on all the values Europe stands for … although my heart breaks while writing this, my conscience [sic] will not let me play … I refuse to play against players who represent the values and principles of Russia!”
In a separate statement, the Poland team said: “We, the players of the Polish national team, together with the Polish Football Association, decided that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we do not intend to play in the play-off match against Russia.
“It is not an easy decision, but there are more important things in life than football. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation and our friend from the national team, Tomasz Kedziora, who is still in Kiev with his family.” The 27-year-old Kedziora is a defender for Dynamo Kyiv. The statement was signed with the hashtags #SolidarnizUkraina (Solidarity with Ukraine) and #NoWarPlease.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and West Bromwich Albion midfielder, Grzegorz Krychowiak, who now plays his club football for Krasnodar in Russia, also posted the joint statement from the Poland players.
The Swedish FA tweeted: “The men’s national team will not play against Russia – regardless of where the match is played. The Federal Board also urges Fifa to cancel the play-off matches in March in which Russia participates.”
Scotland and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Path A of the World Cup playoffs, with Wales and Austria on the other side of the draw. Italy v North Macedonia and Portugal v Turkey are the ties in Path C, with three finals spots available among the 12 teams in the playoffs.
🥁 The semi-finals are set for the European play-offs!
🎫 One team from each of the 3 paths will reach the #WorldCup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cvkFwdzQoX
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 26, 2021
