World football body FIFA on Monday announced that it had expelled Russia from the World Cup due to the invasion of Ukraine, and that it had banned Russian teams from all its competitions.

Simultaneously, UEFA, which had earlier shifted the Champions League final venue to Paris from St Petersburg, also banned Russian clubs and national teams from its national and international competitions.

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“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people,” FIFA and UEFA said in a joint statement.

The bans mean that the Russian men’s football team will not play their World Cup qualifying matches, and the women’s team will miss out on the women’s European Championship in the summer.

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The move comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be barred from competing in international sporting competitions.

As for the duration of the ban, both governing bodies have said that the ban will remain in place “until further notice.”

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FIFA had earlier been undecided on banning Russia from its competitions, but had instructed that home matches with Russian teams be played behind closed doors on neutral grounds. It had also banned the Russian flag, as well as its anthem.

However, the decision did not sit well with several teams, and many teams voiced their objection to playing against Russia under present circumstances. Poland called the decision “totally unacceptable,” while Sweden and the Czech Republic also outright refused to play against Russia.