"Destroyed Ukraine and our lives": "Shakhtar urged FIFA to expel Russia

The International Football Federation (FIFA) is obliged to expel Russia from its membership because of its military invasion of Ukraine. By delaying this decision, the organization is demonstrating double standards and the inability to respond firmly to aggression.

This opinion was expressed in an interview with the BBC by the CEO of Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergey Palkin. He accused Russia of destroying Ukraine, and FIFA itself of not reacting to Russia's unleashing a full-scale war in the center of Europe.

"If you look at Russia, there is a championship going on. They play matches, they have no problems, everything is fine, many people go to the stadium. And in this situation, it is strange to me that FIFA does not react to this situation. I don't understand why Russia is still a member of FIFA. And no one is raising the issue of expulsion. They have completely destroyed Ukraine, destroyed our lives, including football... For me, this is a double standard. You have to choose which side to take," Palkin said.

It is worth noting that FIFA did not deprive Russia of the 2022 World Cup, but sold it to propaganda TV channels for $39 million.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, legendary German footballer Philipp Lahm refused to go to the World Cup in Qatar, accusing FIFA of violating human rights. Earlier, FIFA postponed the start of the 2022 World Cup for the tournament hosts Qatar.

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