FIFA issued an apology to the Ukrainian Football Federation for displaying a map throughout its World Cup qualifying draw that excluded Crimea, which is occupied by Russia, from Ukraine’s territory.
“We absolutely perceive the fragile sensitivity of this matter, and whereas the incident was unintentional, we sincerely remorse any concern it might have prompted,” FIFA’s chief member affiliation officer, Elkhan Mammadov, wrote in a letter revealed Sunday by the Ukrainian soccer physique.
Ukraine was one in all 54 nationwide groups included within the draw Friday in Zurich for the European qualifying teams for the 2026 World Cup.
Russia, which has been banned from FIFA competitions as a consequence of its navy invasion of Ukraine, has illegally occupied Crimea since 2014.
The peninsula was not proven as a part of Ukrainian territory in a graphic broadcast through the draw at FIFA headquarters.
“Are you OK, @FIFAcom?” Ukrainian government spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi wrote Saturday in a post on social media platform X, adding: “We mounted the map for you and count on a public apology.”
Mammadov replied that the map was offered by an outdoor provider and FIFA was reviewing the best way to “guarantee such oversights don’t recur sooner or later.”
Ukraine was drawn right into a qualifying group with both France or Croatia, plus Iceland and Azerbaijan. The group winner will advance on to the World Cup, which shall be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the runner-up will enter a playoff in March 2026.
FIFA and the European soccer physique UEFA banned Russian groups from worldwide competitions in February 2022, citing anticipated chaos as a result of some European federations refuse to play video games towards Russia.
Source: www.dailysabah.com