Russia calls UEFA, FIFA bans ‘discriminatory’

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Russia on Monday criticised its expulsion from the World Cup and the suspension of its teams from all international competitions as discriminatory, in response to the latest international measure against Moscow for invading Ukraine.

"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," the Russian Football Union said.

Russia was expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions until further notice, FIFA and UEFA announced 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. The announcement also affects Russian clubs involved in European competitions.

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