Wojciech Szczesny, Polish goalkeeper for Juventus in Turin, expressed this Saturday his rejection of Russia’s military attack against Ukraine, a country with which he has strong ties after his wife and part of his ancestors are Ukrainian.
In this sense, the international of the Polish national team used his social networks to make it clear that he refuses to play against Russia in the Qatar World Cup playoff match 2022 which is scheduled for the month of March.
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“I refuse to play against players who choose to represent the values and principles of Russia. I refuse to be on the field in the colors of my country and to listen to the Russian national anthem. I refuse to participate in a sport that legitimizes the actions of the Russian government”, he wrote on his Instagram account.
He also defended Ukraine since his wife and several of his workers are from that country and make sure they are good people. “My wife was born in Ukraine, Ukrainian blood runs through my son’s veins, part of our family is still in Ukraine, many of my employees are Ukrainian and they are all great people,” he said.
“Seeing the suffering on their faces and the fear for their country makes me understand that I cannot stand still and pretend that nothing has happened”, added the goalkeeper who started in the game that Juventus won this Saturday 4-3 over Empoli.
“The moment Putin decided to invade Ukraine, not only Ukraine declared war, but also to all the values that Europe defends: Freedom, independence and, above all, peace”, he added in his publication.
Finally, Szczesny asked the world football entities and Europe, to take action on the matter. “I know that my impact may only be symbolic, but I ask FIFA and UEFA to take action and hold the Russian Federation accountable for their actions,” he said.
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