It's simple to anyone who isn't in the middle of the mess. All of Poland, Czechia, and Sweden will refuse to play Russia in World Cup qualification at the end of March. There is no pressure point that shouldn't be squeezed because a ban from FIFA isn't going to end Russia's occupation of Ukraine. It is about collective action by everyone. There is precedent. Yugoslavia was thrown out of the European Championships due to the wars in Yugoslavia. The precedent is still the same, even though it was not FIFA.
It's possible that FIFA is worried about what questions it would have to answer, and how hypocritical it would look, because they have a small hand in all of this.
The World Cup was held in Russia four years after they invaded the peninsula. The IOC's handing of the Olympics of Sochi to Putin allowed him to bankrupt his country and residents and enrich his friends and himself. He has always been after an image of success and dominance, which is what he was trying to get.
The World Cup was another example of Putin's wealth. There were a lot of questions about how Russia won the vote, and a lot of them were similar to the questions about how Qatar won the tournaments. Both were awarded at the same time, which was not a good sign.
The only answer that matters is that of the IOC, which allowed the Russian team to play despite not having a flag or anthem, as if that is some sort of punishment. The Russian players or fans didn't cause the invasion, but it was about collective action.
Sports are important to Putin. He projects the North Korean-like fairy tales of his play on the ice when he can barely skate. Or his position next to others. The state-run program that landed Russia in the water with the IOC started with the Games they hosted. Putin has shirtless horse rides. It could have made a statement. They passed.
Soccer as a whole has been in bed with bad governmental actors for a while now. They come from one of the countries in the Gulf. Gazprom was a sponsor of a few clubs around Europe. Even if they went through the showy, NCAA program-style of punishing themselves in the hopes of avoiding real penalties, there is a couple Russian oligarchs who own teams.
Maybe it will happen in the end. If Poland simply refuses to play, they will not have any choice but to play the winner between Sweden and Czechia. Allowing Russia a free runway into the World Cup will make it look worse.
It would require FIFA to look at what small role it played in this. Self-examination isn't something that most billion-dollar organizations are interested in.
Balance it out with the good side of the sport. I love last-minute winners, especially when they are truly class strikes that crash into the net, and even more when they may prove to be pivotal in a title challenge. Since Maradona dragged them to the Scudetto, Napoli has not won the Italian league.
Always here for a goal that causes the whole bench to storm down the sideline, as well as everyone going so nuts they pretty much ignore the actual goal scorer to just run to their traveling fans in the corner. It's rare that sports cause so many to take a break from their senses, and it's worth remembering when it happens.
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