By Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has postponed the World Cup playoff slated to take place between Scotland and Ukraine on March 24 indefinitely.
This is coming on the heels of Ukraine’s appeal for a shift in the date following the invasion of the country by Russia.
Ukraine, which is supposed to play Scotland in Hampden Park, Glasgow, have about 15 of its national team players, who play in the country’s domestic leagues, in the war-torn zone.
This development will definitely affect the final of the playoff that has already been fixed for March 29 between the winner in the Scotland/Ukraine’s tie and Wales/Austria tie.
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However, Scotland and Ukraine met with FIFA over the issue and accepted to slate the contest in June when both countries’ league window will be activated.
Despite the avoidable shift in date, the Scotland Football Association (SFA) described the incident engulfing the Ukrainians as pathetic and extended the country’s message of solidarity in this trying time.
The SFA agreed that football can only thrive in an environment of peace stating that Scotland will do its bit to help the Ukrainians prepare adequately for the World Cup playoff.
