Sports Recap: February and March

This sport recap is the first edition of a new project that the Menton Times has launched, in which it aims to recap all of the major sports news and events that have taken place during the weeks before each edition is published, in case you may have missed anything.

The sport community stands united with Ukraine:

Like much of the world, the sporting community has rallied together to show its solidarity with the people of Ukraine. In light of Russia’s violent invasion of the country, each sport has found different ways of expressing its solidarity with Ukraine, often at the expense of Russian athletes. From the disqualification of Russian athletes to the wearing of the Ukrainian flag, the sporting world's response has been strong, both on an institutional and individual level.

The most significant show of support might be FIFA’s decision to disqualify the Russian national football team from participating in their World Cup qualifier versus Poland. The decision came after FIFA had initially declared that Russia would be allowed to compete under the name “Football Union of Russia.” After intense pressure from the Polish, Swedish, and Czech football associations (FA), its opponents in the World Cup qualifying knockout stages, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA were forced to disqualify Russia from the tournament. The ban also prevents Russia’s women’s football team from competing in any tournaments or matches.

In a joint-statement with FIFA, UEFA also banned Russian clubs from participating in any European club competitions. This includes the Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League. As a result of this ban, Spartak Moscow were eliminated from their Europa League Round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig. This was the only Russian club still competing in a European club competition, hence the only club affected by UEFA’s ban.

Russia recently lost its appeal to have this ban lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

UEFA has also terminated its sponsorship deal with Gazprom, a major Russian oil company. The termination of such a relationship will undoubtedly affect UEFA as the deal, in place since 2012, has been reported to be worth around 40 million euros per season.

In addition to this, UEFA has decided to move the 2022 UEFA Champions League final, which was originally planned to be played in Saint Petersburg, to the Stade de France in Paris.

Following a request from the Ukrainian FA, FIFA has also postponed their World Cup qualifying match versus Scotland due to the ongoing fighting raging within the country. Originally scheduled to be played on the 24th March, it has been postponed indefinitely, with discussions under way for a new date, with the international break in June being the most likely option.

Possibly one of the biggest stories currently within the football world is concerning the ownership of Chelsea FC by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, whose self-proclaimed “father and son” relationship with Putin caused the UK government to freeze Abramovich’s assets on the 10 March.

In the days after the invasion, sanctions were handed out to Russian officials. Yet, initially, Abramovich was not included in these sanctions. Abramovich made it clear that he wanted to shield the club from any political backlash, and hence, attempted to sell the club before the UK government managed to slap him with sanctions.

He failed to do so in time, and the UK government took control of Chelsea. A special license has been issued by the government which allows Chelsea to continue playing, however, after 10 March, no extra tickets could be sold and the club’s shop would be forced to close.

The sanctions on Abramovich interrupted the sale of the club, however, the UK government has shown itself to be “open in the future to considering a license that would permit the sale of Chelsea FC,” on the condition that Abramovich make no profit from the sale. As bids continue to come in, Abramovich estimates the club to be worth around 3 billion USD.

Abramovich’s love of the club remains apparent. He has stated his willingness to forgo the 1.5 billion GBP in loans he has made to the club over the last two decades, as paying this would, no doubt, have a crippling effect on the club’s financial structure. Abramovich is expected to make a decision on the club’s sale in the coming days.

The International Paralympics Committee also ruled that Russian and Belorussian athletes would not compete in the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics that day before the games started.

In Formula 1, a few weeks before the beginning of the 2022 season, US-based team Haas terminated Russian driver Nikita Mazepin’s contract, as well as their main sponsorship deal with the Russian company, Uralkali. This decision came after the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), Formula 1’s governing body, gave Mazepin the go ahead to continue racing in Formula 1, on the condition that he race under a neutral flag. Mazepin has since been extremely vocal in criticizing Haas for their decision.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is one of the only major sports governing bodies which is yet to impose bans on Russian athletes. With Russian tennis player Danil Medvedev making history, by taking the top spot of the ATP World Rankings off Novak Djokovic for the first time, the ITF came under intense pressure to ban Russian athletes from competing and revoke Medvedev’s position as World Number 1. They responded by stating the Russian and Belorussian athletes would be allowed to compete, as long as they agreed not to compete under the name or flag of their respective countries.

However, the sport with the biggest Russian representation is undoubtedly ice hockey, and for this reason, people waited apprehensively for ice hockey’s governing body, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), to address to situation. Their response did not hold back. The IIHF banned any Russian or Belorussian players from competing in any IIHF tournaments “until further notice.” The Federation also withdrew Russia’s hosting rights for the 2023 World Juniors.

On the other hand, the National Hockey League (NHL), the most popular club ice hockey competition in the world, took a more moderate approach. Whilst the NHL has not banned Russian players from participating in the competition, it has suspended relations with its Russian business partners and has paused its Russian language social and digital media sites.

Russian-born Alexander Ovechkin, hailed as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time, spoke out against the war and called for peace. However, he stopped short of criticizing Russia and Putin.

Many Russian athletes, including Medvedev, have also taken this course of action. They call for peace, yet are unable to criticize the Russian president directly. This highlights the fear that Putin instills within his citizens, even within top Russian athletes who live abroad.

As sport plays such a large role in our societies culture, it is important for the sports world to continue to take a strong stance on Russia's unprovoked act of aggression. The reason being that we idolize sportsmen and women. Economic sanctions successfully cripple Russia’s economy, however, it affects people less on an individual level.

We don’t have posters of big oil companies on our wall, or take our children to said companies’ AGMs. On the other hand, sport acts as a temple for millions of people. Attending football games and following clubs and national teams religiously results in athletes being raised up and placed on a pedestal. This gives them a responsibility to behave appropriately, as their actions often resonate across wide swathes of society, due to the influence they possess.

It is for this reason that it is so pleasing to see so many athletes supporting Ukraine on an individual level. Certain football players, including Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, have started wearing armbands with the Ukrainian flag. Premier League clubs continue to broadcast the Ukrainian flag on screens within the stadium before games begin and fans showcase homemade banners, flags and slogans which highlight their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Football:

Sadio Mané scored the winning penalty as Senegal defeated Mohamed Salah’s Egypt to qualify for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup amid controversy. Opposition fans shone bright-green lasers in the faces of the Egyptian players throughout the match. After the match, the Egyptian FA claimed that their team had been subjected to racism and other intimidation tactics. Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Cameroon also qualified.

In Europe, Portugal and Poland booked their place in Qatar at the expense of North Macedonia and Sweden. Following a shock early defeat to North Macedonia, European champions Italy will miss out on the World Cup for the second time running.

Canada managed to qualify for the first time in 36 years. Uruguay and Ecuador joined Brazil and Argentina as the South American teams to have secured qualification for the World Cup.

In other news, the Premier League title race is heating up as Liverpool moves within one point of Manchester City, following their poor run of form. With 9 games left in the season, and both teams still competing in the Champions League and FA Cup, the stage is set for an intense race to the finish line between Klopp’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s Man City.

Liverpool, who recently beat Chelsea to win the League Cup are no doubt looking to build on this, by completing a historic quadruple. A feat never before achieved by an English side.

The Champions League Round of 16 provided some serious shocks as well. PSG were eliminated by Real Madrid, after a 17-minute hattrick by Karim Benzema sent the Bernabeu into raptures. Another disappointing end to PSG desperate attempts to get their hands on the elusive Champions League trophy. The summer transfer window saw them bringing in the likes of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Lionel Messi to strengthen their chances of Champions League glory. Their early exit from the competition can only be seen as a huge disappointment, and questions have intensified over manager, Mauricio Pochettino’s future at the club. Villarreal also stunned Juventus by thrashing the old lady 3-0 in Turin to send them through to the quarter-finals of the competition. The quarter-final draw in full:

Chelsea vs Real Madrid

Manchester City vs Atlético Madrid

Villarreal vs Bayern Munich

Benfica vs Liverpool

In Ligue 1, Nice have continued their successful run of form as they jostle with Marseille for 2nd place in the French championship and qualification for the Champions League. This would be a first for the club, as Nice have never qualified for the Champions League. Their success has extended to the French cup, where Nice managed to defeat both PSG and Marseille, earning them a place in the Final where they will 7th place Nantes.

Rugby:

In Rugby, France beat England at the Stade de France to win the Six Nations, completing their first Grand Slam in 12 years. Tries from Antoine Dupont and Gaël Fickou saw France breeze past England in a dominant display, much to the delight of the 80,000 French fans within the stadium. With France set to host the next Rugby World Cup in 2023, they will undoubtedly be considered the favorites, as reigning Champions South Africa have lost 4 out of their last 7 games.

The final week of the Six Nations also saw Italy end their 36-match losing streak, with a stunning late victory against Wales. After Paolo Garbisi’s late conversion put Italy one point ahead of Wales in the dying embers of the game, the scenes were jubilant in Rome, with tears of joy being shed by players and fans alike.

Formula 1:

The first Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season saw Ferrari reestablish themselves by completing a 1-2 finish, with Charles Leclerc taking his 3rd career victory in Bahrain. The Scuderia’s dominant display sets up an exciting three-way battle for the Championship, with Red Bull and a struggling Mercedes. Despite looking strong in testing, both Red Bulls were forced to retire late on in the race with powertrain issues, in what can be described as a nightmare start for the English team.

Swimming:

On 17 March, Lia Thomas became the first trans swimmer to win the NCAA women’s championship. This has reignited the heated debate surrounding transgender athletes’ participation in sport, as many call for her title to be taken away from her. Lia Thomas, originally William Thomas, was ranked 456th within the men’s event and jumped to 1st in the women’s event, above Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant.

American sports:

In American football, the Los Angeles Rams scored a late touchdown to win the 56th edition of the Superbowl, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.

On 15 March, American basketball player, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, made history by becoming the all-time leading 3 point scorer, with 2977 pts, overtaking Ray Allen (2973 pts).