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The British American Football Association strongly condemns the atrocities being committed on the people of Ukraine following the devastating attack launched by Russia and supported by the leaders of Belarus.

In the original version of our statement below, issued on Thursday 2 March, we said that the Russian Federation had withdrawn from the forthcoming Men’s European Championship in the Autumn. This was incorrect. We apologise for this inaccuracy and have removed it from the updated version below, however we continue to stand by our condemnation of recent events.

While we know sport can build bridges that others destroy, to show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and in line with Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) guidance, we will be declining to compete with representative sides from Russia or Belarus in any future international tournaments or games. We will also be lobbying the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) to issue an updated statement excluding teams who represent the Russian or Belaurusian state from the forthcoming Men’s European Championship in the autumn, and from any other events in the immediate future.

Over the coming weeks we will work with IFAF to understand the impact of our decision on any potential seeding for the Men’s European Championship, as well as on other planned competitions including Russia and Belarus.

We fully support and offer our solidarity to the people of Ukraine, and especially the Ukrainian American football community, at this momentous and difficult time. And we also add our voice to the calls for peace made by athletes and sporting bodies around the world. 

We encourage the American Football community around the world to come together and condemn the actions of Russia and Belarus, while also acknowledging and supporting our fellow players, coaches and officials in Russia and Belarus who also condemn these actions. 

Pete Ackerley
BAFA CEO

You can read the IFAF statement on Ukraine here