Poland will refuse to play Russia in World Cup 2022 play-off

• Polish FA president says refusal is the only right decision'
• Players say: There are more important things than football'

Poland will not play their World Cup play-off against Russia next month because of the invasion of Ukraine, the president of Poland's Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, said on Saturday, a decision backed up by the team's players, including their star forward, Robert Lewandowski.

Kulesza said the association was in talks with its Swedish and Czech counterparts regarding the matches. The winners of the match between Sweden and the Czech Republic were supposed to play the victors of the Russia v Poland game to determine who would qualify for the World Cup later this year.