The outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine has put various sporting entities in Europe in tension, especially the associations of these countries.

Both players and teams have shown their concern about the current scenario and its future impact.

Such is the case of the Manchester City footballer and the captain of the Ukrainian National Football Team, Oleksandr Zinchenko, who used his social network to send messages to Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

“I hope you die in the most painful way possible,” he said on Instagram, posting a picture of the Russian president.

Then, according to the Ukrainian, the social network deleted his message and the City player published a second post stating: “Russian, is it okay to wake up in fascist Germany? Any Russian who does not express his opinion on this issue will be considered an enemy forever,” he said.

The Union of European Football Federations (UEFA), the highest entity representing football in Europe, also expressed its dissatisfaction with the situation in the region of the two countries by publishing a statement on its website.

“UEFA shares its serious concerns with the international community about the developing security situation in Europe and strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine,” the text reads.

“As the governing body of European football, UEFA works tirelessly to develop and promote football in accordance with common European values, such as peace and respect for human rights, all present in the spirit of the Olympic Charter. We maintain our solidarity with the Ukrainian football community and stand ready to reach out to the Ukrainian people.”

Adding that “we are treating this situation very seriously and urgently,” the statement added.

According to sports newspaper As, the European body is already studying the possibility of changing the venue for this year’s Champions League final as it is scheduled to take place in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.

Media publications emphasize that the final of this competition can be transferred to the cities of London or Munich, however, the final word will be held by UEFA in the emergency meeting convened today by its president Aleksander Ceferin.

Other impacts

Russia’s attack on Ukraine had economic repercussions for certain European clubs who received sponsorship from various Russian companies.

In this case, the historic German team, Schalke 04, which plays in the country’s second division, are involved. Schalke 04 is sponsored by the Russian company Gazprom. In a statement, the team said they would remove the Russian company’s logo from their tracksuits in protest against the military’s actions.

“Following recent events, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor Gazprom from their jerseys. This decision was taken after talks with Germany’s Gazprom. Instead, it will be replaced with letters that say ‘Schalke 04’”, describes the German team on the website.

Correspondingly, according to the newspaper Marca, Manchester United has also begun to study the sponsorship contract it has with Russian airline Aeroflot and canceled the agreement.

The airline is one of the main sponsors of the England team and they have a contract signed until mid-2023.

The Ukrainian state league has also reported the suspension of domestic tournaments due to the crisis in the country. “Due to the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, the Ukrainian championship has been suspended,” read a statement posted by the Ukrainian league on its official website.

This league, from time to time, is characterized by the presence of Brazil in their teams. Due to the current situation, the Brazilians of the Ukrainian teams Shaktar Doneskt and Dinamo Kiev have asked for help to leave the country as soon as possible after the Russian attacks in the cities of Kiev, Kharkov, Mariupol, Odessa and Kramatorsk.

other disciplines

Not only was football shaken by this event; European basketball also reacted.

The FC Barcelona team, participating in Euroleague basketball, had a match scheduled against Zenit which had been decided to be cancelled.

In a statement, they stated: “We inform you that, as a result of the information that emerged in the last few hours about the war between Russia and Ukraine, FC Barcelona has decided not to travel to Saint Petersburg today.”

In addition, “various meetings with the parties involved are planned this afternoon and a decision will be taken in the next few hours,” explains the Catalan club on its website.

Motorsport also has the first reaction regarding the future of competition.

The US newspaper collected statements from Sebastián Vettel, a Formula 1 driver, who does not plan to attend the Russian Grand Prix due to the possible future consequences a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine could have, despite the fact that this prize was held in September.

“I can’t go, it was a mistake to race there and I feel sorry for the innocent people who will lose their lives for stupid reasons and strange and crazy leadership,” said the German.

Chelsea’s English owner Roman Abramovich is also involved in the conflict.

According to Marca, Welsh politician Chris Bryant has stated that the Russian tycoon should have some of his assets confiscated after reading leaked documents from Parliament’s Home Office.

“We should consider seizing some of his assets, including his £152 million home, and ensuring that others on Tier One visas do not engage in defamatory activities in the UK.”

It is hoped that apart from these disciplines, other important figures in the field of sport will raise their voices about the future of their competition.