FIFA and UEFA's Reaction to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine How the neutrality of sport survived the war

Russia invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had an immediate impact on international sports and was quickly followed with numerous measures directed against Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes. The present piece analyses the legal grounds invoked by FIFA and UEFA to exclude Russian teams from their competitions. It argues that the legal justifications advanced by both federations did not formally depart from their ideal of political neutrality and did not link the suspensions to the illegality of Russia’s war or the human rights violations committed by Russia’s armed forces. Furthermore, it shows that this pragmatic approach was endorsed by the CAS Panel. In conclusion, it offers some critical reflections on the implications of these decisions for the relationship between sports and politics.