Meo Sacchetti leads the protest in the world of sport. The fencing girls return home, football also stops
ASSARIMai obvious, never banal. Also this time Meo Sacchetti took a clear and clear position regarding the invasion of Ukrainian territory by Russia, also proposing a symbolic but nevertheless significant gesture. “Today February 27 we will dye our faces with the colors of Ukraine.” The coach of the Italian basketball team spoke on the eve of the important match against Iceland, scheduled for tonight at 8.30 pm at the PalaDozza in Bologna, a fundamental step in the path towards qualification for the 2023 World Cup. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna was not rejected by the president of Federbasket, Gianni Petrucci, who pointed out: «We asked the international federation to be able to undertake an initiative of solidarity. It is an international demonstration, we await the authorization ».
The Italian basketball team is not alone in its protest. Even fencing that with the Italian women’s sword team was in Sochi for the Under 20 and Under 17 European Championships has announced that it is returning home. But it is the whole world of sport that has chosen to boycott Russia after Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. After the decision of Uefa to move the Champions League final from Saint Petersburg to Paris and of the Formula 1 to cancel the Sochi Grand Prix, following the exhortation of the International Olympic Committee to all sports federations to transfer or cancel their sporting events scheduled in Russia or Belarus, yesterday the Polish Football Association, without waiting for a ruling from FIFA, announced that it will not play the play-off for the qualification of the World Cup in Qatar in Moscow against the Russian national team scheduled for March 24. A decision made known by the president of the Polish Football Association Cezary Kulesza supported first of all by the players and also by the Swedish federations, who in turn announced that, eventually, he will not go to play in Russia, and Czech that in case of victory in the play-off of the respective national teams could meet Russi. «This – added Kulesza – is the only correct decision. Enough chatter, it’s time to act. “Clear reference to the governing body of world football which has not yet taken any action against Russia, contenting itself on Thursday with saying that it is” worried “about a” tragic and worrying “situation, according to its president Gianni Infantino.
In England, however, the tension on the Chelsea of the Russian tycoon Abramovich rises, in the crosshairs of British public opinion, so much so that in the financial circles there is already talk of a sale of the Blues. Uefa, according to the British newspapers The Times and The Telegraph, is evaluating the possibility of terminating the sponsorship contract with the Russian gas giant Gazprom, a partnership since 2012. From Sweden then comes the proposal to the European Union of a boycott of sports competitions with Russia as long as the invasion of Ukraine lasts.Sweden proposes that no Russian athlete be allowed to participate in competitions on European soil. Meanwhile, the British Interior Minister Priti Patel has announced that he has also refused visas to Belarusian basketball players and the Norwegian and Swedish ski federations have declared Russian athletes not welcome for the numerous events held in their respective countries scheduled for the month. next one.