Banned from the World Cup after delirious, megalomaniac tyrant Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine, Russian soccer has carried on with their local competitions. And the planet got a reminder today after a game between Zenit and Spartak Moscow turned into a massive brawl.
It was so bad that six players were sent off.
The 2022 World Cup is here and the field of 32 teams is set. Several World Cup regulars will be missing the big tournament this year. Here are some of the best teams not in World Cup 2022 that will be missed.
This list will go by region and is based on if the team has had previous World Cup appearances. The list also includes the country's FIFA ranking in the parentheses.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Qatar success in staging the upcoming World Cup and said the 2018 hosts were sharing their experience in organizing the tournament.
Russia reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2018 but is barred from the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament due to its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
Putin met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on the sidelines of a summit in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
NYON, Switzerland - Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday, in what they hailed as an act of European solidarity.
They said the decision, announced at a news conference at the Swiss headquarters of UEFA, had the full support of European soccer's governing body and also of the Spanish, Portuguese and Ukrainian governments.
"Our bid is not an Iberian bid anymore, it's a European bid," Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, said.
Welcome to Talking El Tri, your new favorite Mexican soccer podcast!
On our first episode, Luis and Yahir discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Liga MX v MLS and the future of each league. They dive in to El Tri's World Cup group and how they see Mexico performing. Yahir talks a little trash and they ask each other fun questions de Los Cantaritos!
Dynamo Kyiv defeated Turkish side Fenerbahçe 2-1 on Wednesday to advance to the third round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. What should have been a joyous moment for the Ukraine club was marred by Fenerbahçe fans chanting “Vladimir Putin” at the Dynamo Kyiv players.
Wednesday’s game was an intense contest that saw a Fenerbahçe player sent off in the 53rd minute and then a game-winning goal for Dynamo Kyiv in the 114th minute. The Putin chants came in the 57th minute after Ukrainian midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskyi scored the game’s opening goal.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday dismissed appeals filed by the Russian soccer federation and four Russian clubs against FIFA and UEFA's decision to ban them from all competition until further notice following the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Dating back to the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, each rendition of the tournament has been accompanied by an official poster from FIFA. Artists who’ve worked on these gorgeous designs include Guillermo Laborde (1930), Joan Miro (1982) and Annie Leibovitz (1986), to name just a few. Today, FIFA unveiled the official poster for the 2022 event in Qatar.
It's created by Qatari artist Bouthayna Al Muftah and depicts traditional headwear being thrown in the air — a symbol of celebration and fandom across Qatar and the Arab world.
Soccer, football, calcio, whatever you call it, it is one of the most uniting sports on the planet. That was as evident as ever on Wednesday before the World Cup qualifying game between Scotland and Ukraine. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, there was an extraordinary moment of solidarity before the game. Watch as Scotland fans sing Ukraine’s national anthem.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp dedicated Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris to the people of Ukraine, expressing support for the country against Russia's invasion.
The game, a rematch of the 2018 final, had been scheduled for St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena but was shifted to the Stade de France after Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbor.
"I am happy that the game is here for thousands of reasons," Klopp told reporters. The war is still going on and we have to think about that."