No To War! Here's How Sports Fraternity Condemned Russia's Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine confirmed that over 100 people had been killed so far after Russian President Vladimir Putin's much-criticised decision to invade the country on Thursday (February 24). Putin ordered wide-ranging attacks on Ukraine, hitting numerous Ukrainian cities and bases with shelling or airstrikes and attacking by both sea and land. This act of aggression by Russia has been condemned by top world leaders and the sporting fraternity, who joined voices in solidarity for those affected during the ongoing invasion in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that 137 civilians and military personnel had been killed so far in the country on day one of the Russian invasion, reported Al Jazeera.

He also labelled them as "heroes" in a video address early on Friday in which he revealed 316 people had also been wounded during the attacks.

Football Fraternity Condemns Russian Invasion!

German second-division club FC Schalke 04 on February 24 took to their official social media handles and announced the decision to drop their main shirt sponsors Gazprom- Russia's largest natural gas company- amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

ℹ️ Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts. It will be replaced by lettering reading 'Schalke 04' instead.#S04 pic.twitter.com/9kpJLRzTQ7

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) February 24, 2022

Meanwhile, ahead of Russian side Zenit's UEFA Europa League game in Seville, hundreds of people gathered outside the stadium to show support towards Ukraine.

Concentración contra la guerra en Ucrania en los aledaños del Benito Villamarín antes del #RealBetisZenit de #EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/nExlBhaxUb

— Antonio Callejón (@Calleti_Antonio) February 24, 2022

Furthermore, right before the kick-off of Barcelona's UEL second-leg clash against Napoli in Naples, players of both teams came together to hold a banner that sent out a clear and strong message, reading "STOP WAR".

Right before the Europa Conference League game against Fenerbahce, Czech side Slavia Prague wore yellow jerseys with a support message for Ukraine.

We stand with Ukraine! ✊ 🇺🇦 🔱 pic.twitter.com/aTt9ewX8GC

— SK Slavia Praha 🏆🏆🏆 (@slaviaofficial) February 24, 2022

Over in England, Manchester United are set to drop their multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Russian airline Aeroflot amid the Ukrainian crisis. United bosses are eager to estrange themselves from the firm due to the Russian invasion of its neighbouring country, reported The Daily Star.

UEFA To Move Champions League Final

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is all set to move this year's Champions League final from St Petersburg in the wake of Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, reported Reuters on February 24.

Formula 1 team Haas has officially confirmed that it will remove the branding of title sponsor Uralkali, a Russian potash fertiliser exporter and producer, for their pre-season testing. The team is also set to race in a plain white livery instead of wearing their iconic white, blue, and red.

Uralkali is also partly owned by the Haas driver Nikita Mazepin's father.

Nikita is in the car this afternoon but he's had to stop out on track after nine laps.

The session is Red Flagged 🚩#HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/tz75oSr4B2

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) February 24, 2022

Vettel Says No To Russian GP

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has asserted that he will not race in the Russian Grand Prix in September amid the wide-ranging Russian attack on Ukraine earlier on February 24, hitting multiple bases and cities with airstrikes or shelling.

Bayern Basketball Postpone Match

Bayern Munich was set to take on CSKA Moscow in a big Euro League basketball match on Thursday; however, the German side decided to postpone the match amid the current events in Ukraine. Barcelona, who are the top side in the tournament, has also stated that they will not be travelling to St. Petersburg for their game against Zenit on Friday.

SPIELABSAGE: Unter dem Eindruck der Ereignisse in der Ukraine ist das heutige Spiel gegen ZSKA Moskau kurzfristig auf einen späteren Termin verschoben worden.

CONFIRMED: Our game against @cskabasket is postponed. pic.twitter.com/Jo65UVIGMt

— FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) February 24, 2022

Smolov Speaks Against Russian Invasion

Russian football star Fedor Smolov became the first to speak out against the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday as he posted a heartfelt message on his social media.

The veteran strike took to his Instagram handle, posted a black photograph, and captioned it "No war".

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