In an interview with our colleagues from Paris, the president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Noël Le Graët, says he is ready to exclude Russia from the next World Cup in Qatar. “I’m leaning towards excluding Russia from the next World Cup. This is my first impetus. Usually, I believe that sport is there to reconcile peoples and ease tensions. But here, that’s going much too far. And the world of sport, and in particular of football, cannot remain neutral. I certainly will not oppose an exclusion of Russia”.
Before continuing. “It’s not just a guy who decides for himself. Behind, there is a whole country. Of course, this is not the fault of all Russians, but we cannot remain neutral in the face of all this. I think that we will rather witness a united and symbolic reaction from the world of football. And, to stay with sport, we must not forget the Ukrainians”.
