Northern Ireland ‘will not compete in any fixtures’ against Russian teams

This statement follows the stance held by football associations including England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Northern Ireland under 21s were scheduled to meet Russia in the European Championship qualifiers next month at Lurgan’s Mourneview Park.

The Irish FA statement read: “The Irish FA convened an extraordinary meeting of its Board today and confirmed that Northern Ireland will not compete in any fixtures for its international teams or those affiliated at club level, should the situation arise, against Russian teams for the foreseeable future.

“This includes the home UEFA U21 Euro qualifier scheduled for Tuesday 29 March.

“On behalf of everyone connected to the Irish FA, and indeed the wider football family in Northern Ireland, we send a strong message of support to our friends in Ukraine during this period.”

A joint UEFA and FIFA statement has also confirmed a decision to remove Russia from all fixtures until “football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people”.

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