Russia expelled from World Cup as FIFA and UEFA hand down bans

The Russian team are supposed to play Poland in a World Cup qualifying play-off on March 24

FIFA has a decision to make over Russia's World Cup participation with one month to go until the draw for the finals

Russia has been expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions "until further notice", FIFA and UEFA announced in a joint statement on Monday, while European football's governing body also ended its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom.

The men's team had been due to play in qualifying play-offs in March for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, while its women's side had qualified for the European Championship in England, to be held in July.

"FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice," read the joint statement from the governing bodies of world and European football.

But their three potential opponents insisted they would boycott the matches.

But those measures were dismissed as "totally unacceptable" by Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza, who added that Poland would not play their World Cup play-off with Russia, "no matter what the name of the team is."

"Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine," the statement added.

- Russia decries 'discriminatory' decision -

"It has an obvious discriminatory character and harms a huge number of athletes, coaches, employees of clubs and national teams, and most importantly, millions of Russian and foreign fans, whose interests international sports organisations must protect in the first place," it said in a statement.

FIFPro criticised FIFA for not imposing stronger sanctions right away and said that participation of Russian teams in international competitions was now "not a possibility".

FIFA had to act quickly before the upcoming World Cup play-offs and with the draw for the tournament due to be held in Doha on April 1.

"This is a powerful message from the international sporting community that we will not tolerate Putin's abhorrent assaults on freedom and liberty. Well done FIFA and UEFA," tweeted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Meanwhile Spartak Moscow were scheduled to play RB Leipzig of Germany in the last 16 of the Europa League.

"Even though we are of the opinion that sport fundamentally unites, we understand and support this decision," said Leipzig, who, UEFA told AFP, have received a bye into the quarter-finals.

UEFA said it had ended its partnership with Gazprom, one of its main sponsors, "effective immediately".

Russian football federation president Alexander Dyukov, boss of Gazprom Neft, the petrol branch of Gazprom, is a member of the UEFA's executive committee.

UEFA last week stripped the Russian city of Saint Petersburg of this season's Champions League final, moving the game on May 28 to Paris.

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