Actually a Sports Blog

Maybe this is just my opinion, but Russian sports need long-lasting consequences. Several things need to be put in place to let Russia know that launching an unprovoked peacetime invasion of a neighboring country is never okay.  Some of these might seem more severe than others, but if that's what it takes to get them to understand that some actions have more consequences then others, then so be it. 1. Revoke their UEFA membership.  For some people, this might be a step too far, which I understand. But maybe taking them out of UEFA for an undetermined length of time- and thereby meaning that they can't compete in European soccer for that length of time- will maybe tell them that if they deploy their military unprovoked and invade a neighboring country during peacetime, they won't be able to compete in international sporting competitions. Peace, after all, is one of the big parts of international sport. Short-term, it means they would miss out on the League of Nations and po...

Why are Russia only suspended from U21 Euros qualifying? To me, suspension from the tournament is too much of a short-term consequence- not only that, a suspension can be lifted at any time. And this is compounded by the fact that the U21 Euros next summer are the continental qualifier for Paris 2024 men's soccer.   So here's what I suggest FIFA does: remove Russia from the U21 Euros qualifiers. As a result, Russia can't qualify for Paris 2024 in men's soccer. I'm thinking that will be much more of a consequence than saying "you can't play in the tournament  now , but maybe in a couple of months".  Why is Russia in the EuroBasket field?  This years' EuroBasket tournament is scheduled for September and, surprisingly, Russia are not only in the field but are in Group A for the opening round. Which begs the question of why ?  As with the above answer, this seems like not even a short-term consequence. FIBA (the international governing body for basketb...