Spartak Moscow will be kicked out of the Europa League, with RB Leipzig given passage to the quarter-finals after Russia invade Ukraine as Simon Jordan urges the sport to take a tough stance
Spartak Moscow are set to be kicked out of the Europa League by UEFA, with RB Leipzig the beneficiaries.
The Russian side were due to face a Bundesliga club in the round of 16 of the competition, but UEFA are under increasing pressure to expel the club from the tournament after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The first leg of the encounter was scheduled for March 10, with the second leg to be played on March 17.
As Spartak Moscow were the seeded team in the draw, this meant the second leg would have seen RB Leipzig travel to the Russian capital, however, the German side should now be given a bye to the quarter-finals, reports the Bild newspaper.
With the decision already made to replace Saint Petersburg as the host city for the Champions League final, Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden have also publicly stated that they will refuse to play in Russia as part of the Champions League play-offs. World Cup which will begin next month. .
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Meanwhile, Formula 1 has also announced that it will not travel to Sochi for the 2022 Russian Grand Prix, which was scheduled for September this year.
FIFA has also signaled its plans for Russia, stating that while they will not be banned from their competitions, they will be ordered to play under the name “Football Union Of Russia” while being banned from playing at home, without spectators and without their national anthem or flag.
The decision to exclude Spartak Moscow from the Europa League will be music to the ears of Simon Jordan, who has insisted on the need for sport to be “in tune with the rest of society”.
When asked if the Russian team should be expelled from the competition, he replied to White and Jordan: “Absolutely.
“What the sport should do is stay out of the landscape of what everyone else is doing. It’s the landscape of shutting everything down.
“If Aeroflot cannot travel to the UK, Russian teams cannot participate in European tournaments.
“It’s not about political landscapes and this being one of the exceptions to the rule, we have a situation in the West where an aggressor can’t behave like that and sport can’t be out of step.
“Sport cannot be out of step with what is happening in society.
“We’re talking about sport reflecting society and we’re talking about societal behavior manifesting in sport, sport is no exception.
“If the sport doesn’t toe the line in this case, then the sport is making an island for itself, which is ridiculous.”
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