Historians and politicians agree that we have to go back to September 1939 to find anything similar to Putin’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine. >
Those who have closely followed Putin’s actions and rhetoric, know that this has been in the making for many years. >
During all these years we must not underestimate the doings of the enablers and apologists, the Gerhard Schröders of sports leaders in western nations, who have helped Putin wield his soft power and to unleash these revanchist forces. >
Sports dignitaries like Thomas Bach, Sepp Blatter and René Fasel have all proudly confirmed their friendship with Putin, all of them impressed with money and power. >
Is this relevant today? Yes, it is, as sport-washing has been one of the most important parts of Putin’s soft power program, where in particular hockey has played a major role. >
The KHL – where snatching clubs from western Europe has been a central part of their business model – is as much a geopolitical as it is a sport project, where Putin and Fasel were instrumental in its founding. >
Despite Putin’s invasions in 2008 and 2014, Fasel always stayed loyal to his authoritarian friend and also fostered solid relations with Belarus’ dictator Lukashenko, under the naïve pretext of not mixing sports and politics. >
The sporting community must stand very firm, as sports plays such big role in Putin’s politics. World sport must treat Russia as it treated South Africa during apartheid and Serbia during the Balkan wars. Outright ban from all international events. >
Jokerit Helsinki owner Jari Kurri will tarnish his reputation for ever if he doesn’t pull out his Finnish club from Putin’s KHL. Signed agreements have no relevance today. EU-nation Latvia's authorities must sanction Dynamo Riga’s KHL membership. >
FIFA must ban Russia from further World Cup qualifiers and UEFA must move the Champions League final from St. Petersburg. And the IIHF must ban both Russia and accomplice Belarus from the upcoming World Championship in Finland. >
My thoughts today are first and foremost with the people of Ukraine, but also with the wonderful Russian people, those who like to be part of an open, prosperous society and who want no part of Putin. /end
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