Why Ukraine withdrew from the Beach Soccer World Cup

Ukraine's men's beach soccer team has withdrawn from the 2023 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates on February 15-24, 2024. Our country announced a boycott of the tournament because of the participation of the Belarusian team.

This is stated in a statement on the official website of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF). It is noted that the national team of Mykola Kostenko and Oleksandr Korniichuk is fulfilling the order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine of July 26, 2023, which prohibits participation in international competitions if athletes or teams from the Russian Federation and Belarus pay as well.

The UAF emphasized that together with the Beach Soccer Association of Ukraine (BSAU), they demanded that the International Football Federation (FIFA) and Beach Soccer Worldwide not allow Belarusians to participate in the World Cup. "Football officials refused to do so. They also rejected a proposal that Belarusians play without their national symbols," the association added.

Earlier, the UAF condemned the decision of the European Football Union (UEFA) to begin the procedure for the return of Russian teams to their tournaments.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the English Football Association staged a riot over the admission of Russian youths to UEFA tournaments, refuing to play with teams from Russia.

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