Ukraine crisis: In the Russian offensive, sports is another casualty

Globally, teams banned, sponsorships cancelled. India's friendly football match also affected

How times change. Nineteen years ago, when the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich walked into London and bought the faltering Chelsea football club — for a then paltry sum of £140 million — barely anyone batted an eye. English football’s first overseas billionaire had arrived, with a yacht that had a helipad to buy a house that looked like an embassy. The collective response of the English football establishment was one of awe.

Vladimir Putin had come to power three years prior, and the term oligarch was yet to hit mainstream. Apprehension and criticism at a London club being owned by a foreign investor were unfounded — provided mainly by opposition football managers and dismissed as a case of sour grapes. Those in defence said this was a case of a rich man expanding his brand image across the world. Which seems about right today. 

Two Champions Leagues, Five Premier leagues, five FA Cups, and many fawning tributes later, suddenly people have noticed the Russian in charge and called for change. And even now, it has little to do with sport and more to do with the brand image that makes sport itself. A brief press statement made clear that Abramovich had handed over the “stewardship and care” to the trustees of the club’s charitable foundation. Their roles, powers, and scope of control has not been defined. All we know is this: the Roman empire has fallen. For now. 

It is a pattern that has repeated in the days following Russia’s bombing of Ukraine and an increased scrutiny towards Russian investments in global sport. The Haas F1 team quickly dropped Russian livery from their new car, and removed their chief sponsor Uralkali from their branding. Uralkali owner Dmitry Mazepin sponsors the F1 team. His son Nikita Mazepin drives for them. At the time this went to print, the sport’s governing body was yet to take a decision on Mazepin Jr’s involvement in the sport but had cancelled the Russian Grand Prix.

It kicked off a domino effect. Within hours, Manchester United decided to cut their commercial partnership with Aeroflot and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has banned Russia from holding world chess events. Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic, three of four teams drawn into a World Cup qualifier playoff tournament, refused to play Russia. Poland were due to face them on March 24. Before long, European football’s governing body UEFA had ended its association with the Russian energy giant Gazprom and stripped St Petersburg from hosting the Champions League final to be held May 28. The event has been shifted to Paris (France’s actions in Mali till late last month is another story). UEFA further banned Russian clubs from all events under its banner. 

These sponsorship sanctions, while effective at an economic level, were targeted mainly to handicapping investments made by Putin’s oligarch aides across the world. Actual sporting repercussions took a while to put through. FIFA have removed Russia from the World Cup playoffs — after a brief attempt at seeming to allow them to play but only as the Russian Football Association and without the country’s flag — and suspended their national teams from international football.

This move wouldn’t have been dissimilar to the one the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has implemented against Russia since the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Having found evidence of state sponsored doping in 2014, the IOC banned Russia from participating at two Olympics. Russian athletes who applied for and were given special dispensation had to compete under the Olympic flag and under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee. In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the IOC is discussing a complete ban on athletes from competing in any global event held under its banner. 

It’s worth remembering that Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup four years after it had been found guilty of state sponsored doping at the Olympics. Things don’t change. Those affected do.

Consider Denis Cheryshev, the Russian striker who lit up the FIFA World Cup in his home country in 2018. Cheryshev came through the Real Madrid academy and has played in Spain his entire life. The 31-year-old’s last hurrah at the international stage may well have been at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. But now, with Russia banned, he will walk away into the sunset in silence.

Or Daniil Medvedev, the outspoken, flamboyant, natural troll, tennis star, the first World No 1 outside of the “Big Four” in 18 years. The Ukrainian Tennis Federation has asked the International Tennis Federation to consider banning Russia from its events for the foreseeable future. Any restrictions would see him miss out on a chance to solidify his credentials as the best in the world. An athlete at the peak of his powers will lose out.

Impact on India’s European outing

India’s football friendly against Belarus to be played on March 26 has been called off. The game was the second of a double header (with another against Bahrain) as a tune up for the national team prior to the Asian Cup qualifiers in June. The decision comes on the back of the IOC's suggestion that athletes and officials from Russia and its close ally, Belarus, be isolated from the sporting arena. Both matches were to be played in Manama. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is looking to schedule two matches against Bahrain instead.

The match against Belarus would have been the first time in over a decade that India played a European team. The last time they did so was in February 2012, a 3-0 loss to Azerbaijan.