Soccer has a long history of showing its compassion for worthy causes. And on the weekend following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the world’s most popular sport nailed its colors to the mast once again at stadiums across Europe and North America.
Watch the video to see Ukrainian soccer players brought to tears by an outpouring of support.
Games in England, Germany, the U.S., and beyond were marked by gestures of solidarity with Ukraine from fans, players, and officials.
The outpouring of sympathy brought several Ukrainian players to tears as soccer sent a simple message of support to them and their compatriots at home and abroad.
Meantime, the two most powerful organizations in the game, FIFA, which controls world soccer, and UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, were united in their response to the crisis, suspending Russia from all competitions at the club and international level indefinitely.
In addition, UEFA has stripped the Russian city of St. Petersburg of hosting rights for this season’s European Champions League final. The most prestigious game in world club soccer will now be played at the Stade de France in Paris, France, on May 28th.
In the U.S., where the Major League Soccer season has just kicked off, the Los Angeles Galaxy and LAFC held moments of silence for the people of Ukraine while displaying the country’s flag on the scoreboards.
A statement from the U.S. Soccer Federation summed up soccer’s support for Ukraine, calling the Russian invasion “heinous and inhumane” and saying it would not share a field with a team from a warring Russia “no matter the level of competition or circumstance.”
