Spartak Moscow slam UEFA's decision to kick them out of Europa League

Spartak Moscow say it is ‘extremely upsetting’ for them to have been kicked out of the Europa League after UEFA banned Russian clubs from competing.

On Monday, FIFA and UEFA released a joint statement suspending Russian clubs and national teams from all football competitions until further notice following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine last week.

It means the men’s national team will be barred from the World Cup in Qatar later this year while its women’s team will also be prohibited from playing in this summer’s European Championships in England.

UEFA confirmed Spartak Moscow’s suspension means German side RB Leipzig qualify to the quarter-finals of Europa League without having to play.

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Spartak released a statement following their exclusion in which they explained their efforts in Europe’s competition ‘have been nullified for reasons that are far outside the remit of sports.’

A club statement read: ‘UEFA and FIFA have decided to exclude from the current iteration of the Europa League. This means that our round of 16 ties against RB Leipzig will not go ahead as planned.

‘This verdict is connected to the organisations’ position on recent events that have taken place in Ukraine.

‘The recent decision taken by UEFA and FIFA although expected, is extremely upsetting. Unfortunately, the efforts that our club made in the Europa League have been nullified for reasons that are far outside the remit of sports.

‘Spartak has millions of fans not only in Russia, but all over the world. Our successes and failures bring people from dozens of different countries together.

‘We believe that sport, even in the most