In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, UEFA, the governing body of European football, declared on Monday that its sponsorship agreement with Russian energy company Gazprom had been discontinued.
The announcement reads, “UEFA has elected to end its relationship with Gazprom across all competitions today.”
The decision takes effect immediately and covers all existing agreements, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA national team events, and UEFA EURO 2024.
The sponsorship deal began in 2012 and is reported to be worth around £30 million per season.
Schalke had already cut ties with Gazprom, who had previously been their primary jersey sponsor.
FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russia’s national and club teams from all tournaments until further notice due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘Football stands in complete solidarity with all of Ukraine’s victims.
‘Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will considerably and quickly improve so that football can once again serve as a vehicle for unity and peace,’ the statement added.
‘The UEFA Europa League matches between RB Leipzig and FC Spartak Moskva are canceled, and as a result, RB Leipzig has qualified for the competition’s quarter-finals,’ UEFA added.
Gazprom will no longer be visible on advertising hoardings at Champions League games or in television commercials supporting the championship.
The English Football Association has previously stated that they would not play any Russian team, regardless of their name.
The FA is one of seven leagues that have declared a complete ban on games with Russia. Czech Republic, France, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales are among the others.
For the time being, the FA has said that they will not play the country’s representative teams at any level or age category.
The European Championship elite round encounter between England and Russia, scheduled for March 26, was postponed on Sunday night.
Russia was supposed to play Poland in the World Cup play-offs next month, with Sweden and the Czech Republic facing the victors for a spot in Qatar, but all three countries declared they were hesitant to play over the weekend.
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