By Andrew Warshaw
September 3 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has re-iterated his stance that Russia will not be stripped of the 2018 World Cup despite European diplomats reportedly considering calling for a boycott in protest at the worsening crisis in eastern Ukraine.
“We are definitely holding the World Cup in Russia,” Blatter was quoted as saying at the weekend at an event in Austria. “We are in a situation in which we have expressed our trust to the organisers of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. (A boycott) has never achieved anything.”
His remarks came amid revelations of a possible Cold War-style ban designed to have maximum impact and far more effect than economic sanctions. According to the Financial Times, for the first time since the Ukraine crisis began, EU diplomats are mulling over the idea of barring Russia from major events, including the World Cup.
An options paper circulated in European capitals on Tuesday reportedly included the idea of recommending suspending Russia from “high-profile international cultural, economic or sporting events.”
The paper said “several delegations” had shown enthusiasm for the move and that although it would not form part of a fresh raft of sanctions being drafted this week, the options paper suggested that “thought could also be given to taking co-ordinated action” on a sporting ban.
Any move in that direction would rekindle memories of the western-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Four years later, the Soviets retaliated, leading an Eastern bloc boycott of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Mujtaba Rahman, head of European analysis at the Eurasia Group risk consultancy, was quoted as saying: “This will sting the Russians far more than anything the EU will do on finance this round.”
It remains to be seen how FIFA would react to such a Europe-wide political offensive or quite how Russia could be excluded from an event being hosted on its own soil – unless, that is, other countries refuse to take part and/or play against them.
After Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine by suspected pro-Russian rebels, football’s world governing body said history had shown “that boycotting sport events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems.”
Asked last week whether there was any risk that Russia could lose its right to hold the tournament, President Vladimir Putin said: “I hope not. FIFA has already said soccer and sport are outside politics and I think that is the right approach.”
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