Fact Check: No, Putin didn't threaten FIFA to lift Russia's suspension from Qatar World Cup
India Today
A post is going viral on social media with the claim that Vladimir Putin has threatened FIFA over the suspension of Russian teams from the tournament.
Russia, which hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup, now stands suspended from the Qatar edition of the tournament following the invasion of Ukraine. On March 1, 2022, FIFA and UEFA released a joint statement, expelling Russia from all international football competitions.
Meanwhile, a post is going viral on social media with the claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened FIFA.
The viral postcard uses an image of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Putin alongside the World Cup trophy. "Russia will play at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup or there will be no world cup to talk about," the post read.
Several Twitter users posted the card with similar captions, suggesting that the Russian President has threatened FIFA.
Putin said that “FIFA must not enter into war politics, The National Football team of Russia will play FIFA World Cup in Qatar, or there won’t be WORLD CUP at all”#UkraineRussianWar pic.twitter.com/317FLmrQvN
Archived versions of similar posts can be seen here and here.
