Football, the most important of the least important things

What with their country being reduced to smouldering piles of rubble by a paranoid maniac, the chances of their national football team participating at the Human Rights World Cup are probably not weighing heavily in the minds of too many Ukrainians right now. But as the great Arrigo Sacchi once said, football is the most important of the least important things, and Ukraine are scheduled to play Scotland later this month at Hampden, with the winners going on to play Wales or Austria for a place at this year’s ill-advised winter jamboree. As inconsequential as it might seem in the cosmic scheme of things, a decision needs to be made over whether or not the match can or will go ahead. The Ukrainian FA has officially asked Fifa and Uefa for a postponement, casting massive doubt on the likelihood of it being played in three weeks’ time.

As Russian missiles continued to rain down on cities the length and breadth of Ukraine, Fifa reacted with its usual efficiency and decisiveness, issuing a 62-word statement that, like many of its public pronouncements, didn’t say much. What’s more, in keeping with their president Gianni Infantino’s cosy relationship with Vladimir Putin, it conspicuously chose not to describe the current horrors being beamed on to our TV screens from Ukraine as the fallout from an illegal invasion or act of war. “Fifa can confirm it has received a request from the Ukrainian Association of Football today to postpone their matches scheduled for March,” it revealed. “Fifa remains in regular contact with Uefa and the Scottish Football Association to find an appropriate solution. Fifa expresses its deepest solidarity to everybody affected by what is happening in Ukraine. A further update will be provided in due