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Considering the appeal issued today (November 4th) by several members of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania regarding the friendly football match scheduled for November 12th in Grozny between the national "B" football teams of Russia and Lithuania, the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) asks to evaluate the facts and to separate politics from sports, as demanded by international sports and football organizations.
First of all, LFF would like to emphasize that it is a sports organization, and it chooses opponents for national football team matches based on sporting, not political criteria.
In this case, the match with Russia's "B" football team, represented by powerful Russian football championship players, is a good test and useful experience for the Lithuanian "B" football team.
It is worth noting that negotiations for the mentioned match were held with the member of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) - the Football Union of Russia (RFS), which, as usual for the inviting country, chose the venue for a friendly match.
LFF, after considering the expressed concern by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania regarding the security situation in Grozny, contacted RFS and received additional assurance regarding security measures. It is common practice for the inviting country to ensure all necessary conditions for holding the match, including security.
LFF would like to draw the attention of the members of the Lithuanian Parliament that it is a member of international football organizations - FIFA and UEFA. These organizations strictly adhere to the principles of sports and political neutrality, therefore, any political interference in the activities of football organizations is viewed negatively and can result in strict sanctions.
These organizations' statutes stipulate that "discrimination against any country, private person, or group of people based on ethnic, gender, language, religion, political, or other reasons is strictly prohibited and may be punished by disqualification or expulsion from the organization."
The proposal of the members of the Lithuanian Parliament to refuse to attend the match in Grozny could potentially cause a significant reaction and be perceived as a political step. In this case, Lithuania could potentially face strict FIFA sanctions.
It is worth noting that LFF has previously experienced political pressure regarding friendly matches of the national team in Israel, as well as with the teams of Poland and Belarus.
Taking into account the arguments presented above, LFF asks to respect the decision regarding the organization of the mentioned friendly match.
