News

Russia is so Out of Line that Even Corrupt FIFA is Handing Out Sanctions

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Feb 28th, 2022 · 12:57 PM EST

---

Let’s get it back to the Russian invasion of Ukraine:

Breaking News: FIFA will ban Russia and its teams, ejecting the country from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup only weeks before it was to play for one of Europe’s final places in the tournament. UEFA will join FIFA in issuing and honoring the ban. https://t.co/TVD3uh1oUY pic.twitter.com/cqv9ZvVv7h

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 28, 2022

This is rich. This would be like Barry Bonds sanctioning Roger Clemens. FIFA is one of the most corrupt sporting bodies on the planet. There was a massive 2015 reckoning that resulted in a bunch of arrests and guilty pleas for bribery, fraud, and money laundering. FIFA gave the 2018 World Cup to Russia and has been tight with Putin and his cronies for some time.

That’s why it’s pretty significant to see FIFA drop the hammer on Russia right now. No competition for them at any level. UEFA (the European soccer body) already kicked Spartak Moscow out of the Europa League, which is the competition that is one level below the Champion’s League. That’s gotta be shitty for everybody on that team, which is only about 65% Russian, but hey, when the autocratic asshole running the show invades a sovereign country, sometimes everybody has to pay for it.

Meantime, Ukraine’s athletes are bad asses:

Ukraine United: Ukrainian boxer Vasyl Lomachenko, who is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, has joined his local territorial defense unit in Odesa region pic.twitter.com/7cl8KNfR8o

— Business Ukraine mag (@Biz_Ukraine_Mag) February 27, 2022