How soccer reacts to Russia's Ukraine invasion: Chelsea for sale; Everton cut Usmanov ties, Belarus sanction
Soccer has been overshadowed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Players, club owners, sponsors and the game's governing bodies have all been reacting to the escalation in aggression.
Everton have suspended commercial sponsorship deals with USM Holdings, Megafon and Yota. Alisher Usmanov had his assets frozen by the EU. USm Holdings are training ground sponsors and have an exclusive rights agreement for the new stadium which is due to open for 2024-25 season.
UEFA and Schalke 04 have parted ways with their main sponsors Gazprom. Spartak Moscow was excluded from the Europa League. The Russian oil and gas giant was involved in the Ukraine invasion. It was banned from all European football competitions. The club replaced the Gaz Promprom logo on the front of their shirts with Schlke.
Manchester United cut ties with Aeroflot. The club's statement said that the club shares the concerns of their fans.
Adidas have suspended their partnership with the Russian Football Union. Russia's national team uniforms were made by Adidas. Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic refused to participate in World Cup qualification.
Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea FC. He will donate the net proceeds of the sale to the charity. The Russian oligarch has been under pressure to sell the club due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hansjorg Wyss has already been approached about a potential deal. The Telegraph reports that the Chelsea owner could be open to selling the team. It has increased scrutiny on other Russian-owned or sponsored clubs in Europe. Thomas Tuchel has also been questioned since Saturday's move to step back. A new investment group will take over for Abramovitch. His team will set up a charitable foundation. All proceeds from the purchase will be donated to victims of war in Ukraine, including providing funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims.
Shakhtar's and Dynamo's Brazilian players have been evacuated from Donbas since the war broke out in 2014. The evacuation was made possible thanks to the personal assistance of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, Ukrainian Football Association President Andrii Pavelko and Moldovan Football Federation President Leonid Oleinichenko.
Roberto De Zerbi and Mircea Lucescu returned home after their players were rescued. Markus Gisdol left Lokomotiv Moscow in disgust. "This is my personal decision. I cannot stand on the training ground in Moscow and a few kilometers away orders are given that bring great suffering to an entire nation."
Yuriy Vernydub, the coach of Sheriff Tiraspol, has taken up arms in his homeland to defend it from Russia. Gustavo Dulanto is praying for his safety.
Yaroslav Rakitskiy has mutually terminated his contract with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. The 32-year-old played 108 matches for Zeni during the Donbas war. He won three league titles, the Russian Cup and two Super Cups during his time at Zeniti.
Daniel Farke has left Krasnodar. All foreign players bar Grzegorz Krychowiak have had their contracts suspended.
IOC's executive board recommends that Russian and Belarusian athletes are suspended from competing in events. Russia is one of the nations in the 2022 World Cup qualifying draw. Many Ukrainian athletes cannot participate in sports events because of war in their country.
FIFA and UEFA suspended the Russian team and all Russian clubs in light of the Ukraine invasion. EA Sports is removing Russian teams and clubs from its products. FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile and FIFA Online are being updated. The playoff qualifying bracket will be adjusted. Poland could be awarded a bye to face the winner of Sweden-Czech Republic. Ukraine's playoff with Scotland has been postponed.
Spartak is eliminated from Europa League. RB Leipzig will advance to the quarterfinals with a bye. Belarusian clubs and national teams must play their home matches in UEFA competitions at neutral venues. Russia's women are excluded from this summer's Euros.
The Champions League final has been moved to Stade de France in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.
