![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image_2022-09-22_115137102-696x348.png\" "\\"Andriy")
<\/div>\nAndriy Yarmolenko, captain of the Ukrainian football team, has called for Russia to be \u201cisolated on every level\u201d from sport.<\/p>\n
UEFA announced this week that Russia will be excluded\u00a0from the qualification process for Euro 2024.<\/p>\n
It continues a ban by the European football governing body and FIFA on Russian participation in international football brought in after the nation invaded Ukraine in February.<\/p>\n
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Yarmolenko, who has won 109 caps for his country, described Russia as a \u201ccountry of terrorists\u201d ahead of Ukraine\u2019s Nations League encounter with Scotland, emphasising his belief that a total exclusion from sport is the right approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thoughts are quite simple,\u201d the winger, now of Al Ain after a four-year stint at West Ham, said. \u201cRussian football, Russian sport should be totally isolated. This is a country of terrorists, a country that kills Ukrainians, that kills Ukrainian children.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot just talk about sport when something like that is happening. All the Ukrainian players want Russia to be isolated on every level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot allow Russia to take part in any competition whilst its army are killing the civilian population in Ukraine. The stand of the Ukrainian team is unified; Russia should be banned from everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s absence from the draw scheduled for October 9 for the 2024 European Championship continues a blanket ban on Russian clubs and national sides from UEFA and FIFA competitions.<\/p>\n
In tennis, Russian players \u2013 and those from Belarus, a geopolitical ally of the country \u2013 have been permitted to continue to compete on the ATP and WTA Tours, but not under the name or flag of their nations.<\/p>\n
However Russian and Belarusian players were declined entries at Wimbledon,\u00a0leading to the stripping of ranking points from the grass-court Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
Ukraine and Scotland meet twice in the next seven days in Nations League Group B1, with Steve Clarke\u2019s side first hosting their visitors at Hampden Park before travelling to Krakow, Poland for the reverse fixture next Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Scotland had their World Cup qualifying hopes ended by the Ukrainians at Hampden Park in June, but Clarke is optimistic that his side can begin to build again after the disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one in June was pretty unique \u2013 the circumstances leading into it,\u201d the Scotland head coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be slightly different but still a big game. Yes, they will be fired up, they are a good team, they want to top the section and get promotion to the A group of the Nations League, but so do we.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sure Ukraine will play to the same level, but what I\u2019m looking for from our team is that we get back to the level that we can be and then we\u2019ll see what the result is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just feel that, in the summer, we stalled a little bit and we want to start that forward momentum again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ukraine currently top Group 1 of League B on seven points, one ahead of their opponents.<\/p>\n
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