‘No more words, it’s time to act. This is the only right decision’
Matty Cash fully agrees with that Polish FA statement. He may not agree with the yellow card he received today.
Poland has revealed that it will refuse to play the World Cup play-offs with Russia, due to take place in late March, due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Cash, the Aston Villa defender, who plays for Poland and supports their refusal, was booked by a gesture of support to an international teammate that is currently in Ukraine with his family.
The Poland vs. Russia game was due to be played on Friday, March 25, with the winners expected to play either Sweden of the Czech Republic four days later in order to secure a spot in the Qatar-hosted finals later this year in November.
However according to reports from Sky News, an FA official has revealed that, due to the ongoing and continually escalating situation in Ukraine, Poland will not play Russia in next month’s match.
“No more words, it’s time to act. Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine, the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia,” explained an FA spokesperson.
“This is the only right decision. We are in talks with the Swedish and Czech federations to bring forward a common position to FIFA.”
A FIFA spokesperson later told Sky Sports News that they would continue to monitor this situation and reveal an updated plan regarding the game in the coming days.
Matty Cash booked for message under jersey
Cash, who plays for Poland, displayed a message for his international teammate Tomasz Kedziora, who plays with Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine.
The Villa defender was swamped by teammates after scoring against Brighton at the Amex stadium. Kedziora and his family are currently in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, where many residents are staying underground in subways and bomb shelters.
Disappointingly, Cash was booked for displaying the message under his jersey. Premier League stars are not permitted to remove their jerseys after scoring goals.
Related links:
- Almost 200 Ukrainians killed as fighting reaches Kyiv streets
- ‘This is not our war’: Young Russians are angry at Putin – and they want you to know
- Russia banned from competing in Eurovision 2022 following Ukraine invasion
