FA left fuming after Cup quarter-finals were shown live on TV in Russia

The Football Association has been left outraged after the weekend’s FA Cup ties were all broadcast live in Russia – and there are concerns England’s forthcoming friendlies could follow suit.

Wembley bosses are said to be furious after all four quarter-final ties were shown in the country following its invasion of Ukraine.

The FA’s hands were tied after the rights to sell the competition in Russia were sold by IMG. Talks were held with the international media agency ahead of the FA Cup fixtures and a suspension of the deal was requested, but each game was subsequently shown on Russian TV in a move that may well cause considerable embarrassment and anger.

There are now concerns that the Three Lions’ upcoming friendlies with Switzerland on Friday and Ivory Coast on Tuesday could also be aired in Russia. 

UEFA control the rights and are currently discussing next steps. A number of nations from across Europe have privately made their concerns known to the governing body. 

The Premier League has suspended its agreement with Russian broadcaster Okko Sport

UEFA are also aware that feeds of certain matches to Russia have been manipulated. There have been examples of edits to cut footage of protests, shows of solidarity with Ukraine and the presence of Ukraine flags in stadiums. Anti-war messages on advertisement hoardings have also been altered.

Premier League clubs halted broadcasts in the country earlier this month following the invasion after the government made it clear they wanted transmissions to stop immediately. The EFL was also quick to follow suit and others, such as Netflix, have also pulled streaming. 

Manchester City (above) vs Southampton, Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest, Everton vs Crystal Palace and Chelsea vs Middlesbrough were all shown live on TV

That meant the likes of Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko (above) has spoken passionately against the invasion was among those who entertained the Russians

But England’s most historic competition was on Russian screens at a time when missiles continued to rain down on its neighbour, wreaking destruction and death and triggering global outrage. 

That meant the likes of Manchester City, whose Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has spoken bravely and passionately against the invasion and who came on as a substitute in their 4-1 win at Southampton, were among those who entertained the Russian public with war ongoing. 

An IMG spokesman said: ‘We are in discussions with the FA with regard to the feed for the FA Cup in Russia and have every intention of finding a solution.’