Belarus is supporting Russia in the attacking war against Ukraine, but only Russian and not Belarusian teams are currently suspended by UEFA. 1. FC Köln, who could meet a team from Belarus in the Europa Conference League, have asked UEFA to expel the clubs. While UEFA says nothing publicly, a sports organization for victims of the Belarusian dictatorship demands even more than FC.
“Belarus is an aggressor like Russia in the war against Ukraine, that’s quite obvious”, says Alexander Apeikin in an interview with the sports show. Apeikin stands the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) which was founded during the mass protests against the dictatorship in Belarus in 2020, which ended with violence and repression, to support athletes persecuted by the regime. “UEFA’s previous sanctions are not sufficient, the entire Belarusian association must be suspended”says Apeikin.
In a letter to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, the club management of the Bundesliga soccer club 1. FC Köln had demanded the exclusion of all Belarusian teams. Apeikin said that he welcomed Cologne’s advance, but that excluding the teams was not enough for him. “Sport is a propaganda tool used by dictator Alexander Lukashenko. The association committed manipulation, corruption and human rights violations even before the war, now it is supporting the Russian attack.”says Apeikin. “We don’t know why UEFA is protecting the Belarusian association. The procedure is very opaque.”
UEFA: “No further comment”
The sports show asked UEFA in writing what they thought of 1. FC Köln’s concerns and why they had only suspended Russia’s teams and not those from Belarus. In its response, UEFA referred to the sanctions imposed on Belarus so far and the restrictions imposed on draws, adding: “We have no further comment to make.”
Like FIFA, UEFA excluded Russian teams from their competitions in March, but not those from Belarus. Instead, she decided on the measure that Belarusian teams must play their home games on neutral ground and without fans, “since the invasion of the Ukrainian territory by the Russian army was facilitated by access from the neighboring territory of Belarus”, according to UEFA at the time. It was later decreed that clubs from Ukraine and Belarus are not allowed to meet again until further notice. There are several such exclusions from matches in draws at UEFA.
| Matches currently excluded politically in UEFA |
|---|
| Ukraine – Russia* |
| Ukraine – Belarus |
| Kosovo – Serbia |
| Kosovo – Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| Kosovo – Russia* |
| Armenia – Azerbaijan |
| Spain – Gibraltar |
| *Teams suspended 2022/23 |
Ukraine under fire – also from Belarus
When the Russian attack on Ukraine began, Russia received support from Belarus. Although Belarus is not officially a party to the war, it offers its ally from Moscow its territory as a deployment area and base. For example, on June 25 Ukraine reported several rocket attacks from Belarusian territory and attacks by warplanes said to have come from Belarusian airspace. On the same day, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko met in Saint Petersburg.
Presidents Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus, right) and Vladimir Putin (left) on June 25, 2022.
Less than two weeks later, the ball rolled regularly for Dinamo Minsk. In the first leg of the 1st qualifying round of the Europa Conference League against FK Dečić from Montenegro there was a 1-1 draw, a week later the Minsk club prevailed 2-1 and is now a possible opponent of Cologne in the playoffs as a participant in the 2nd round like FK Gomel and BATE Borisov. If they reach the group stage, Belarusian champions Shakhtyor Soligorsk would also be a possible draw.
Werner Wolf, President of 1. FC Köln, called Belarus one “vassal state”, who must be regarded as an indirect participant in the war. Wolf said FC had written to all other participating clubs “with a request to support us”. If the worst comes to the worst – a draw against one of the clubs from Belarus, they would probably play. “Under the current circumstances, we would compete”said Wolf in the WDR. “But we would use the stage to clearly point out this injustice.” Belarus is not unknown to FC: In 2017, Cologne played in the group stage of the Europa League at BATE Borisov.
October 2017: 1. FC Köln visit BATE Borisov in Belarus
IOC had recommended the suspension of teams from both countries
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended the suspension of athletes and teams from both countries after the start of the Russian attack. The sport was different. In handball, for example, Belarus is no longer allowed to play, but in football it is. And that despite the fact that 35 states, including Germany, have recently been completely excluded from Russian and Belarusian sports associations from the international sports organizations such as UEFA have demanded.
But the IOC recommendation affected neither the federations nor the officials of both countries, who remain active in the IOC and in the federations of the sports. Belarus is at least still represented in some of the lower bodies of UEFA, Russia was able to embarrass UEFA with its European Championship bid in the meantime, and Gazprom manager Alexander Dyukov still has a voting right on the UEFA Executive Committee.
Apeikin: “We have to stop the flow of money”
However, the UEFA Executive Committee, which as a body could decide on sanctions, would have to deal with a technical problem in Cologne’s initiative if it were to deal with the Cologne demand: the first qualifying rounds of the European Cup have been played, so the Executive Committee would have to intervene in the competition that started long ago .
For Apeikin of the BSSF, however, the arguments for exclusion prevail. Above all, he criticizes UEFA and FIFA for suspending only Russian teams and not the associations as members. “Money will continue to flow to the associations from Belarus and Russia”says Apeikin. “These cash flows must be stopped.” In the past, the BSSF has repeatedly asked UEFA to suspend Belarus. Most recently in April 2022.
On June 27, UEFA sent a circular to its members detailing the payouts from a money distribution scheme. Belarus and Russia were each entitled to 2.4 million euros for the 2021/22 season. According to the UEFA financial report, around 6 million euros in so-called solidarity payments from the European Cup went to Belarus in 2020/21. Belarus also showed where they stand in sport. When Russian teams were internationally suspended, they mainly had one partner in friendlies: Belarus.
Fan from Ukraine: “It’s a shame”
Oleg Soldierko witnessed the Russian attack with Belarusian support from the beginning. “You have to be prepared for everything at all times”he said as the Ukrainian representative at the general assembly of the fans’ alliance Football Supporters Europe in Frankfurt am Main on Friday. Soldiers’ Ko was allowed to leave his homeland with a special permit, he went by bus from Lviv to Poland and then to Frankfurt. The 51-year-old spoke of destruction, suffering and death, and how football fans in Ukraine have been affected by the war.
“I totally agree with 1. FC Köln”,Soldenko said afterwards in an interview with the sports show. “I think it’s a shame that the teams from Belarus are still allowed to play.”