It is official, the Australian Government has confirmed that they are steering clear of the 2018 Russian World Cup. They have decided against sending official delegation to the event that is going to be hosted in Russia.
After this announcement, Australian stands together with the United Kingdom in an effort to boycott the tournament. This is partly due to the already frosty relationship that the two nations have.
In March, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had hinted about the possibility of a boycott of the tournament. But she clarified then that this referred to a governmental boycott. This is because opening matches and the finals are often attended by heads of state as well as government representatives.
However, in a recent statement, she confirmed that Australian representatives will not be traveling to Russia at all:
“The Australian Government will not interfere in the decisions of the Football Federation of Australia in relation to the world Cup,” stated Bishop. “The Australian Ambassador to Moscow will attend the Socceroos games.”
Just last month, the Foreign Minister had accused Russia of being involved in the downing of flight MH17 of Malaysian Airlines in 2014. The said crash resulted in 38 Australian casualties.
With regards to FFA, the spokesperson has stated that it supported FIFA’s “recognition of importance of human rights and non-discrimination.”
In addition, the spokesperson said, “FFA also has an explicit obligation as a FIFA member to take part in FIFA competitions. We believe that events like the World Cup highlight diversity, tolerance and international cooperation.”
“That is why FFA is looking forward taking its place among the 32 nations at the World Cup finals and representing Australia.”
When the Socceroos were asked about their concerns, some expressed their private opinions, although majority were eager to keep their focus on football in preparation for their matches.