(Reuters) - Russia should not be allowed to host World Cup qualifiers next month after its invasion of Ukraine, the football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic said on Thursday. Russia is due to host Poland in the semi-finals of its strand of the World Cup playoffs on March 24 and, if its team advances, is scheduled to host either Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29 in the Path B final. "The Football Associations of Poland (PZPN), Sweden (SvFF) and Czech Republic (FACR) express their firm position that the playoff matches... should not be played in the territory of the Russian Federation," they said in a joint statement. SvFF chairman Karl-Erik Nilsson told Reuters on Thursday that playing a World Cup playoff match in Russia was "almost unthinkable". "As it looks here and now, today, there is absolutely no desire to play a football match in Russia," he said.

Source: Libya Today February 25, 2022 11:06 UTC