Poland refuses to play Russia in WC qualifier, cites Ukraine
WARSAW, Poland: Poland is refusing to play its World Cup qualifier against Russia next month in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Polish soccer federation president said Saturday. Cezary Kulesza made the announcement on Twitter and indicated Poland was in talks with other federations to present a unified position to FIFA, which is responsible for the March 24 game in Moscow. “No more words, time to act!” Kulesza wrote, saying the move was prompted by the “escalation of the aggression.” Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, the nation’s all-time leading scorer and winner of FIFA’s best-player award for the past two years, immediately responded to say it’s the “right decision!” “I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues,” the Bayern Munich star said on Twitter.
