Mueez Ajao
– Scotland and Ukraine’s World Cup playoff has been postponed.
– The two nations were set to meet for the semifinal on March 24 but last week the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) lodged a formal request to FIFA for the tie to be pushed back following Russia’s invasion of the country.
– It has not yet been decided when the fixture will be played. The draw for the World Cup finals is scheduled for Friday, April 1, but the postponement of the Scotland-Ukraine match may not delay it as two other finalists, via the intercontinental playoffs, will also not be known until June.
Also Read: BREAKING: FIFA, UEFA suspend Russia from all international football
– The World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.
– Fifteen members of the 23-man squad that played in Ukraine’s most recent game — a World Cup qualifier against Bosnia this past November — play their club football in Ukraine, and almost all Ukrainian players have stayed in the country since the domestic league was suspended last month.
– Meanwhile, FIFA has invoked temporary employment and registration rules, which allow foreign players registered to clubs in Ukraine and Russia to sign for new teams outside the two countries.
– The rules ensure that all contracts with clubs affiliated to the UAF or Football Union of Russia (FUR) will be suspended until June 30, 2022.
