UEFA have handed out their latest punishment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by forcing football clubs from Belarus as well as its national team to play their home matches at neutral venues.
Belarus are only one of four nations that support Moscow’s actions of invading Ukraine, which has now entered its eighth day of fighting.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appeared earlier this week to have indicated Vladimir Putin’s forces have plans to invade Moldova.
Putin’s war-mongering sidekick addressed security officials on Tuesday while standing in front of a battle map that seems to show a planned operation from southern Ukraine into its tiny neighbour.
Belarusian army chiefs were then part of a first wave of sanctions imposed by the UK government on Wednesday, with foreign secretary Liz Truss saying Mr Lukashenko had aided and abetted Russia’s invasion.
And now given their ongoing support of Russia, UEFA have decided to act on the sporting front by also banning spectators from watching games in which Belarus are named as the ‘home side’.
All Belarusian clubs and national teams competing in UEFA competitions will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues with immediate effect,’ a statement read.
‘Furthermore, no spectators shall attend matches in which the teams from Belarus feature as host.’
UEFA will make football clubs from Belarus as well as its national team play their home matches at neutral venues
Belarus is only one of four nations that supports Moscow’s actions of invading Ukraine
It remains to be seen which countries would offer to host Belarus’ matches.
It comes after UEFA and FIFA banned Russia from all of its competitions, including the World Cup play-offs, the governing bodies have announced, following the invasion on Ukraine last week.
Both removed Russia from all their fixtures until ‘football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people’ in a joint statement confirming the move, set to further isolate the country’s sporting situation.
It added that football is ‘fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine’.
UEFA has also banned spectators from watching games in which Belarus are named as the ‘home side’
It comes after UEFA and FIFA thrown Russia out of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
FIFA (pictured, president Gianni Infantino left) have suspended Russia until further notice after Russian president Vladimir Putin (centre) ordered an invasion of Ukraine last week
Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian athletes were finally out of the Winter Paralympics after multiple countries threatened to boycott the Games.
The International Paralympic Committee sparked fury on Wednesday when they decided Russians and Belarusians could compete as neutrals, insisting it was the harshest punishment possible according to their rules.
However, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony and after a major backlash from teams including Great Britain, the IPC caved to pressure and banned athletes from the two nations over the invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus has been used as a key staging post for Russia’s invasion, and the former has therefore received widespread condemnation.
The anti-democratic regimes of North Korea, Eritrea and Syria, each led by dictators accused of human rights violations or even war crimes, also back Putin in their two-fingered salute to the West and the people of Ukraine following a UN vote.
The country’s president Mr Lukashenko however one of just a few allies Russian President Putin can now call upon, and appeared to show the latter’s plans on a map earlier this week.
The map also showed proposed battle plans for Russian troops across the country.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board has decided to refuse the athlete entries from the Russia and Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games
Alexander Lukashenko has appeared in front of a battle map during a state TV broadcast which appears to detail Russia’s attack plans in Ukraine
The map seems to suggest that a force will be sent from the Ukrainian city of Odessa to attack neighbouring Moldova, where Russia already has troops
It detailed Russian lines of attack heading into Ukraine, some of which have materialised in the first few days of the invasion – such as forces storming towards Kyiv from the north, and towards Kherson from Crimea.
But they also showed off several attacks that have yet to come to pass – with one even appearing to point from the port city of Odessa into Moldova, suggesting Russia plans to march troops into Ukraine’s neighbour.
The former Soviet nations have important economic and political ties, with Russia accounting for 48 per cent of Belarus’ external trade.
Lukashenko owes Putin loyalty after he backed the then-beleaguered Belarusian leader when protests nearly ousted him from power under his repressive regime without fair and free elections.
Lukashenko, who has been accused of human rights violations for his crackdown on the press, has since allowed Russian forces to engage in war games on his territory in the lead-up to the invasion and take part in joint military drills while amassing troops on the Ukraine border.
Lukashenko (left) is one of the few allies Vladimir Putin (right) has remaining following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
A US official has now claimed Belarus will join Russia in the war just after a referendum on Sunday approved a new constitution ditching the country’s non-nuclear status.
The American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Washington Post, said that ‘it’s very clear [Belarus’ capital] Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin.
Belarus’ role in the invasion so far has already resulted in sanctions from Britain and the EU.
Ms Truss said Belarus ‘will be made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin’.
‘We are inflicting economic pain on Putin and those closest to him. We will not rest until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored,’ she added.
Sanctions will hit ‘some economic sectors, and in particular timber, steel and potash,’ the EU said in a statement.
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