Germany demands Russia be suspended from 2024 UEFA Europa League

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Germany's Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, sent a letter to the Union of Football Associations (UEFA), Aleksander Ceferin, demanding that Russia and Belarus' national teams be suspended from the EURO 2024 championship, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel. 

"Russia, which violates international law, and Belarus, a key ally of the Russian leadership, should be suspended from all international football tournaments," Faeser said in a letter, according to the newspaper. 

According to the minister, the football association should show unification against "human rights violations," arguing that "All perpetrators should be deprived of any opportunity to play sports, exert influence or represent themselves in any other way."

The UEFA Executive Committee in early May suspended all Russian teams from participating in international tournaments from 2022-2023.

Instances of Russophobia in sports have been on the high since February, with aggressive media campaigns against young skaters and recent British sanctions against an Olympic gymnast and "Putin associates."

Read more: Media abuse against Olympic star Valieva is unethical & deliberate

The war in Ukraine led to an avalanche of sanctions against Russia, banning the country's athletes from participating in international sports events. Even paraplegic Russian athletes were not safe from the inundating sanctions, dubbed by many as "hysterical".

Read more: CAS backs FIFA ban on Russian teams

In May, London imposed sanctions against retired Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva over alleged personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The British sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans on the targeted individuals, a policy London has been closely following when it comes to anti-Russian measures.