[ad_1]
Scotland were set to play Ukraine in a World Cup play-off semi-final this Thursday but the clash has been postponed.
The game was put on hold after Ukraine’s football authorities made a request to FIFA in late February to have the match temporarily put back.
This follows the country being invaded by Russia and FIFA accepted Ukraine’s request to postpone the fixture.
FIFA have been in constant dialogue with the Scottish Football Association (SFA), and given what is happening, the decision makes a lot of sense.
In its place, Scotland will play Poland in a fundraising friendly for Ukraine as they look to support their World Cup play-off opponents.
The SFA have announced that £10 from each ticket sold for that game will go to UNICEF’s humanitarian response effort.
When will Scotland play Ukraine?
At the moment, there is no set date for this match to be played but FIFA hope that it can be held at some time in June.
If this were to happen, both countries would have a hectic fixture schedule with UEFA Nations League games scheduled to take place too.
Given what is going on in Ukraine, it is hard to know whether the situation would have improved enough for the national team to play against Scotland by June.
If Ukraine’s football authorities request to postpone the match again, you have to wonder when it might be played because the World Cup is fast approaching.
Scotland are also supposed to play Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League in June, so it is possible that they could face them twice in the same month.
Whoever wins between Scotland and Ukraine will face off against either Wales or Austria in the play-off final for the right to play in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Scotland v Ukraine: What has been said?
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “We have channelled that all through UEFA. The last things the Ukrainians need is more complications in terms of communication.
“You feel like a bit of a fraud and it doesn’t feel right to be concentrating too much on the games because first and foremost you want the conflict to stop and you want everything that’s happening over there to stop and things to return to some sort of normality, whatever that looks like over there.
“It’s a really delicate one. We want to play Ukraine, we want to play the winner of the Wales-Austria one in the final, and we want to qualify for Qatar. That’s the route that was laid out, that’s what we want to achieve, and we will do everything we can to make sure that’s a possibility.
“It’s all hypothetical at the moment and it’s probably inappropriate to go into too much detail because we just don’t know. It’s very much a case of seeing what happens with the conflict over the coming weeks and take things from there.”
Betting Offer Of The Day
Bet365: Bet £10 Get £50 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply 18+ Begambleaware.org
[ad_2]
Source link
Contact Us For Promotions, Biography Submission, Edit Or Takedown Of An Article.