Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Poland Refuses To Play Russia In World Cup Qualifier

Polish Football Association says Poland will not play its World Cup qualifier against Russia next month in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Polish soccer federation president; Cezary Kulesza on Saturday announced 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.”

Poland striker; Robert Lewandowski, the nation’s all-time leading scorer, immediately responded to say it’s 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.”

Previously, Poland had only said it didn’t want to play the qualifying playoff semifinal in Moscow on March 24.

The winner plays Sweden or the Czech Republic for a place at the Qatar World Cup.

Russian troops pressed toward Ukraine’s capital 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.

The Ukrainian health minister says that 198 people have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been wounded in the Russian offensive.

Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said Saturday that there were three children among those killed. His statement made it unclear whether the casualties included both military and civilians.

He said another 1,115 people, including 33 children, were wounded in the Russian invasion that began Thursday with massive air and missile strikes and troops forging into Ukraine from the north, east, and south.

According to The UN refugee agency, over 120,000 Ukrainian refugees have left the country since Russia began its attack on its neighboring country this week.

The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly Clements, in an interview on CNN, said the situation was expected to get worse.

“We now see over 120,000 people that have gone to all of the neighboring countries,” she said. “The reception that they are receiving from local communities, from local authorities, is tremendous. But it’s a dynamic situation. We are quite devastated, obviously, with what’s to come.”

Most are heading to Poland and Moldova, but also Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary.

#PrayforUkraine