Court dismisses Russia request to block World Cup ban

Russia’s request to block a ban on participating in the World Cup was blocked on Friday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

FIFA placed an indefinite ban on Russia from competitions at the end of February due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Russia sought an interim ruling to block the ban until a full appeal could be litigated, as Russia was set to play Poland next week in a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup, The Associated Press reported.

Poland had urged FIFA to ban Russia as the nation, which borders Ukraine, said it would refuse to play in the contest due to the attacks. 

The court said Thursday the game will not happen, but Russia still has a chance to qualify if they win their full appeal in court, according to the AP.

A win in court would mean Poland and Russia would have to play for a spot in the tournament that is taking place in Qatar this year. 

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) also banned Russian teams after the invasion and Russia also lost its court battle to freeze UEFA’s decision, the AP noted. 

Soccer is not the only sport Russia has been prohibited from, as many international organizations have either suspended Russian participation or said Russian athletes can not compete under their flag.

“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” FIFA said when banning Russia from competitions, adding it hoped “that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”