Spartak Moscow were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League on Monday when UEFA decided to ban Russia and their clubs from their competitions.
Reacting to this, the Russian club wrote in a statement: “UEFA and FIFA have decided to exclude from the current iteration of the Europa League. This means that our round of 16 ties against RB Leipzig will not go ahead as planned,.
“This verdict is connected to the organisations' position on recent events that have taken place in Ukraine. The recent decision taken by UEFA and FIFA although expected, is extremely upsetting.
“Unfortunately, the efforts that our club made in the Europa League have been nullified for reasons that are far outside the remit of sports.
“Spartak has millions of fans not only in Russia, but all over the world. Our successes and failures bring people from dozens of different countries together.
“We believe that sport, even in the most difficult times, should aim to build bridges, and not burn them. We are forced to obey a decision that we do not agree with.
“For now, we shall focus on domestic competitions, and are looking forward to a speedy achievement of peace that everybody needs.”
Not just UEFA, but FIFA also leveled heavy sanctions on Russia for their military invasion of Ukraine – banning them from the 2022 FIFA World Cup and eliminating from the qualifying playoffs round.
