Belarusian teams to play UEFA matches at neutral stadiums

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - UEFA said on Thursday that Belarusian national football teams and clubs competing in European competitions will play their home matches at neutral grounds following Russia's war on Ukraine.

In a statement, the European football governing body added that no spectators shall attend matches in which the teams from Belarus feature as host.

"The UEFA Executive Committee will convene further extraordinary meetings, on a regular ongoing basis where required, to reassess the legal and factual situation as it evolves and adopt further decisions as necessary," it said.

UEFA and FIFA on Monday took a joint decision to suspend all Russian clubs and national teams' participation from international competitions until further notice for the same reason.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in a week, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Belarus is a pro-Moscow Eastern European state that borders both Ukraine and Russia.